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Working Group on Nutrition Throughout the Life Course: Contribution to
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
held during the ACC/SCN's 31st Session in New York, United States,
25 March 2004
Chairs: Ricardo Uauy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and
INTA, Chile, and Ted Greiner, Sweden
Key recommendations from the Working Group relating to the MDGs
Promote nutrition, health, care and education of adolescent women, including
fulfillment of their reproductive rights (MDGs–1,2,3,4,5,6,8)
The WG prioritized the nutrition and health of adolescent women in order to
effectively break the intergenerational cycle of poor maternal nutrition,
fetal growth restriction and post natal malnutrition/stunting. There is ample
evidence that the nutritional status of women before they become pregnant is
more influential on pregnancy outcomes than any nutritional supplements
provided during pregnancy. Efforts at improving micronutrient intakes and
achieving a healthy weight should thus be undertaken before conception,
placing emphasis on the adolescent period. The prevention of unwanted
pregnancies, especially at the time young girls are still growing, requires
information, education and access to reproductive health including
contraception. This is presently an unfulfilled right in many parts of the
world. The WG considered efforts to promote women’s reproductive rights should
go in tandem with efforts to improve nutrition, health, care and education of
adolescent women for maximal impact both in terms of protecting maternal
health and child growth and development and obtaining optimal pregnancy
outcomes—important to both women and men.
Achieve the goals of reducing child mortality by including optimal nutrition
as embodied in the global strategy on infant and young child feeding (MDGs–1,3,4,6,7)
The WG noted with extreme concern the latest figures of 10 million death of
children under 5, close to 30% of these preventable by simple nutrition and
care practices. Exclusive breast feeding to 6 months followed by appropriate
complementary feeding could alone could save close to two million children
from death. Additional measures such as clean water and sanitation,
micronutrient rich foods and or food fortification could contribute to
preventing another one million deaths. These interventions are presently well
formulated and approaches to effective implementation are presented in the
WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.
Fulfillment of MDG goals requires integration of the global strategy on NCD
prevention (Diet, Physical Activity, and Health) (MDGs–1,3,4,5,7,8)
The WG examined the double burden of disease affecting most developing and
transitional societies around the world. It is no longer an issue of focusing
on children’s health and nutrition or on prevention of adult chronic disease.
The evidence presented and discussed indicates that nutrition related chronic
disease NRCDs (cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, and some forms of
cancer) account for a major proportion of death and of DALYs lost on a global
basis, including amongst the low-income groups in developing countries as they
experience the epidemiological-nutrition transition. There was consensus
within the WG that this issue was central to the achievement of the MDGs,
since prevention of these conditions must start in early life (from the moment
of conception). Moreover, early nutrition is a key factor in determining risks
for NRCDs. In developing countries these conditions affect adults in their
productive years who often do not reach old age before they succumb. Already
strained health resources become progressively limited with the burden of
NRCDs, specially related to rapidly growing epidemic of diabetes striking at
progressively younger age groups, consuming for example 8% of the budget of
the ministry of health in Tanzania.
See also Annex I: Nutrition throughout the life course and the achievement of
the MDGs.
Plan of action for 2004/05:
- Continue work (WHO/UNICEF/IAEA) on cost effective ways of prevention and
control of malnutrition in young children. Progress in implementing the global
strategy on infant and young child feeding.
- Develop a plan of action and global strategy for improvement of fetal
growth and prevention of low birth weight. Prioritize adolescent girls in
order to break the intergenerational cycle. (WHO/UNICEF/IAEA).
- Support the implementation of the global strategy on NCD prevention
considering the special challenges facing developing countries, namely how to
address the double burden of disease. Consider addressing this topic in Brazil
as a prime example of a country undergoing the rapid nutritional transition
(WHO/FAO/WB/UNICEF/IAEA).
Presentations made during the meeting:
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