Nutrition
NutritionThe objective of this paper was to assess the contribution of the timing of initiation of breastfeeding to any impact. Based on data from Ghana, the results show that the risk of neonatal death was four times higher in children who were not exclusively breastfed (given milk-based fluids or solids in addition to breast milk)…. Read more
This review summarises the evidence for the impact of maternal protein-energy supplementation on birth outcomes such as birth weight, size for gestational age and risk for stillbirth. The data shows a positive mean increase of 73g on birth weight, with the effect more pronounced in women who were undernourished. It also shows a 32 per… Read more
This review looks at the evidence for multiple micronutrient supplementation of pregnant women and the effect on birth outcomes. Micronutrient deficiencies are known to interact and a greater effect may be achieved by multiple supplementation rather than single nutrient supplementation, although interactions may also lead to poor absorption of some of the nutrients. Overall, the… Read more
Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN), is a movement founded on the principle that all people have a right to food and good nutrition. It involves the commitment of governments, civil society, the United Nations, donors, businesses and researchers to improve nutrition in a collective effort. This framework document was created in 2010 in response to poor… Read more
The Copenhagen Consensus is a project that establishes priorities for global welfare. It was set up in 2004 by gathering some of the world’s greatest economists to improve prioritisation of the numerous problems the world faces and the process has been repeated every four years. The expert panel’s task is to create a prioritised list of solutions to… Read more
In this paper, the authors summarise the evidence about interventions with proven effectiveness in addressing undernutrition. These actions span interventions directed at mothers, babies, and young children, and include direct nutrition interventions (eg, provision of micronutrients) as well as indirect interventions such as behaviour change interventions directed at feeding practices and accompanied by supportive measures… Read more
This paper addresses the potential long-term implications of undernutrition through a review of the associations between maternal and child undernutrition with human capital and risk of adult diseases in low and middle-income countries. Data from Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa was analysed and it was found that indices of maternal and child… Read more
This is the first paper of the Lancet special series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition and focuses on the magnitude of the problem and the short term consequences of undernutrition in low and middle income countries. The paper uses new analyses of existing data to estimate the effects of the risks related to measures of… Read more
This paper looks at child anthropometric data on a country by country basis and aimed to estimate trends in the distributions of children’s anthropometric status and assess progress towards MDG 1. The data was collated from population-representative data on height and weight-for-age Z score, from health and nutrition surveys, summary statistics from the WHO Global… Read more
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank jointly compiled this report from global and national data on child nutrition. The joint analysis dataset includes 639 nationally representative surveys from 142 countries/territories. The report covers levels and trends of malnutrition globally, including stunting, wasting, under and overweight. The report… Read more
Chronic undernutrition affects nearly 200 million children in low and middle income countries, with vitamin and mineral deficiencies affecting many more, and there is strong evidence that undernutrition is associated with up to 35% of all child deaths globally. This free, online training module has been designed to explore the complicated problem of undernutrition, highlight… Read more