TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AUTHORS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS GLOSSARY INTRODUCTION    Undernutrition Throughout the Life Cycle    Research on Interventions to Combat Undernutrition    Conceptual Framework PREVENTING LOW BIRTHWEIGHT    Definitions and Indicators    Wasting or Stunting in utero    Prevalence of Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR)    Consequences of Low Birthweight       Increased Mortality and Morbidity       Greater Risk of Stunting       Poor Neurodevelopmental Outcomes       Reduced Strength and Work Capacity       Increased Risk of Chronic Disease    Causes of Intrauterine Growth Retardation    Prenatal Food Supplementation       Beneficial Nutrition Interventions       Nonbeneficial Nutrition Interventions    Optimizing Interventions       Targeting Supplements to Undernourished Women       Best Predictors for Women at Greatest Risk of IUGR          Prepregnancy Weight          Attained Maternal Weight at 20, 28 or 36 Weeks of Gestation       Additional, Less Useful Predictors of Women at Greatest Risk of IUGR          Low Maternal Body Mass Index (BMI)          Pregnancy Weight Gain          Maternal Height       Timing of Supplementation       Duration of Supplementation    Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy       Supplementation with Single Micronutrients          Iron          Folic Acid          Zinc          Vitamin A          Calcium          Iodine       Supplementation with Multiple Micronutrients    Non-Nutritional Interventions During Pregnancy    Adolescent Nutrition       Adolescent Growth       Adolescent Pregnancy       Adolescent Nutritional Status       Can Adolescents Catch-Up Incomplete Childhood Growth?    Intervening in Adolescence       Improving Dietary Intake       Improving Iron and Folate Status       Delaying First Pregnancy    Summary and Conclusions IMPROVING CHILD GROWTH    Growth Patterns of Infants and Children    Stunting    Underweight    Wasting    Causes of Poor Growth    Interactions Between Undernutrition and Diseases    Consequences of Poor Growth    The Fundamental Importance of Care    Exclusive Breastfeeding    Complementary Feeding       Recommendations for Complementary Feeding       Estimating the Amount of Nutrients Needed in Complementary Foods    Improving the Nutrient Content of Complementary Foods       Increasing Energy Intake       Increasing Protein Intake    Improving the Micronutrient Content (Quality) of Complementary Foods    Increasing the Consumption of Animal Products    Improving the Content and Bioavailability of Nutrients in Plant-Based Complementary...    Fortification of Complementary Foods with Micronutrients    Efficacy Trials of Complementary Foods    Micronutrient Supplementation to Improve Growth       Iron       Zinc       Vitamin A       Calcium       Iodine       Multiple Micronutrients    Summary and Conclusions PREVENTING AND TREATING ANAEMIA    The Prevalence of Anaemia and of Iron Deficiency    Causes of Anaemia    Consequences of Anaemia    Efficacy Trials of Iron Supplementation       Supplementation in Pregnancy       Iron Supplementation of Infants and Preschool Children       Iron Supplementation of School Children and Adolescents       Frequency, Duration and Prioritization of Iron Supplementation    The Role of Other Micronutrients in Anaemia    Dietary Interventions to Reduce and Prevent Iron Deficiency    Iron Fortification of Foods    Efficacy Trials    Effectiveness Trials       Maize and Wheat Flour Fortification       Condiment Fortification       Fortification of Foods for Infants and Children       Safety of Iron Fortification Programmes       Complementary Parasite Control Strategies for Prevention of Anaemia    Summary and Conclusions PREVENTING AND TREATING IODINE DEFICIENCY    Prevalence of Iodine Deficiency    Causes of Iodine Deficiency    Consequences of Iodine Deficiency Disorders       Cretinism       Goitre       Impaired Cognitive Function       Increased Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality    Iodine Efficacy Trials       Effects on Goitre Reduction       Effects on Pregnancy Outcome       Effects on Infant Mortality       Effect on Child Growth       Potential for Iodine Toxicity    Summary and Conclusions PREVENTING AND TREATING VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY (VAD)    Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency    Consequences of Vitamin A Deficiency    Efficacy Trials to Improve Vitamin A Status       Effect on Pregnancy Outcome       Impact on Morbidity and Mortality of Infants and Children       Prevention of Childhood Illness    Benefits of Providing Vitamin A to Infants in the Expanded Programme in...       Improved Growth       Impact on HIV Infection    The Efficacy of Food-Based Strategies to Improve Vitamin A Status    Summary and Conclusions EFFECTIVENESS OF LARGE SCALE NUTRITION INTERVENTIONS    Growth Monitoring and Promotion    Integrated Care and Nutrition Interventions    Communications for Behavioural Change       Specific Nutrition-Related Recommendations    Supplementary Feeding of Young Children and Women       School Feeding       Health-Related Services       Complementarities Between Health Service Delivery and Community Nutrition    Effectiveness of Supplementation for the Control of Iron and Vitamin A...       Iron       Vitamin A    Food-Based Strategies for Control of Iron and Vitamin A Deficiency    Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders PRIORITIZING OPTIONS    Benefit-Cost and Cost-Effectiveness Analyses       Determining Unit Costs of Interventions       Cost-Effectiveness    Key “Minimum Packages”    Programme Management Principles       Contextual Success Factors       Programme Success Factors    Role of Programmes in National Nutrition Improvement REFERENCES APPENDIX 1. PROFILES OF SOME COMMUNITY-BASED NUTRITION INTERVENTIONS IN...    Bangladesh    Cambodia    People's Republic of China    India    Pakistan    Sri Lanka    Viet Nam ACC/SCN NUTRITION POLICY PAPERS ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK NUTRITION AND DEVELOPMENT SERIES BACK COVER