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Theme: Maternal undernutrition / LBW

Estimated Economic Benefits of Reducing Low Birth Weight in Low-Income Countries

Low birth weight (LBW) is a major contributor to infant mortality. Beyond that, reducing low birth weight could result in appreciable economic benefits. The present paper considers the potential benefits from reducing low birth weight in seven distinct categories: 1. Reduced infant mortality; 2. Reduced neonatal care; 3. Reduced costs of infant/child...

Published in 2004, by World Bank

FAQ - Breastfeeding and Maternal Nutrition

Focuses on the impact of maternal nutrition on breastmilk quantity and quality, the nutritional requirements of lactating women, the impact of breastfeeding on maternal health, and implications of this information for programs.

Published in 2004, by LINKAGES

Fifth Report on the World Nutrition Situation

The 5th Report continues the tradition of reporting on trends in nutrition throughout the life cycle and of challenging the nutrition community. But instead of asking the question: how is nutrition affected by global changes? the 5th Report asks the question more proactively: how can a nutrition perspective accelerate the attainment of a comprehensive set of...

Published in 2004, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

First Report on the World Nutrition Situation

The overall objectives of the report are to provide an agreed basis for raising awareness of malnutrition - its extent, severity and trends - to advocate that increased attention be given to preventing this extensive and serious human problem. The report, through the indicators and their interpretation, should demonstrate the inter-sectoral nature of the...

Published in 1987, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Fourth Report on the World Nutrition Situation Nutrition throughout the Life Cycle

The Fourth Report on the World Nutrition Situation is part of a series of ACC/SCN reports initiated in the mid-1980s on the nutritional status of populations in developing countries. While earlier reports have focused on regional trends in preschool undernutrition, this report is built around the theme nutrition throughout the life cycle. This change was...

Published in 2000, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Global Climate Change: implications to international public health policy

Since 1990, WHO has published a series of reports on climate change and has participated in review processes such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. These activities have outlined key characteristics of the health risks generated by a warming and a more variable climate. However many of the projected impacts on health are avoidable, through a...

Published in 2007, by Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, Carlos Corvalán, Maria Neira

Global Health Risks: Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks

This World Health Organization report states that the leading global risks for mortality in the world are high blood pressure (responsible for 13% of deaths globally), tobacco use (9%), high blood glu­cose (6%), physical inactivity (6%), and overweight and obesity (5%). These risks are responsible for raising the risk of chronic diseases such as heart...

Published in 2009, by WHO

Global Hunger Index 2009. The Challenge of Hunger: Focus on financial crisis and gender inequality

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) shows that worldwide progress in reducing hunger remains slow. The 2009 global GHI has fallen by only one quarter from the 1990 GHI. Southeast Asia, the Near East and North Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean have reduced hunger significantly since 1990, but the GHI remains distressingly high in South Asia, which has...

Published in 2009, by Klaus von Grebmer, Bella Nestorova, Agnes Quisumbing , Rebecca Fertziger, Heidi Fritschel, Rajul Pandya-Lorch, Yisehac Yohannes

Global strategy for infant and young child feeding

Joint Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding to revitalize world attention to the impact that feeding practices have on the nutritional status, growth and development, health, and thus the very survival of infants and young children. The document includes an overview of the challenges, the implementation and the responsibilities involved in...

Published in 2003, by WHO, UNICEF

Infant Feeding in Emergencies Module 1

This module covers how to feed infants, by breastfeeding and, when necessary, other options. It also addresses existing recommendations and protective policies, and gives guidance on how to provide adequate support for appropriate infant feeding. Module 1 provides an overall introduction to infant feeding in emergencies, and explains why it is an important...

Published in 2001, by ENN, WHO, UNICEF, LINKAGES, IBFAN

Infant Feeding in Emergencies Module 2 Version 1.1

Module 2 aims to provide health and nutrition workers with the basic knowledge and skills to help both breastfeeding and artificially feeding women. The first task is to support breastfeeding women, so that they do not lose confidence and introduce artificial feeds unnecessarily. The next task is to identify and help women who have feeding difficulties. The...

Published in 2007, by ENN, IBFAN-GIFA, Fondation Terre des hommes, Action Contre la Faim, CARE USA, LINKAGES, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO

Insight: Why stunting matters

This technical brief discusses the negative effects of stunting and the steps we can take to prevent them. It is the second in a series of technical briefs that address the continuum of care for good infant and young child feeding, from initiation of early and exclusive breastfeeding through complementary feeding in later infancy and the second year of life....

Published in 2010, by Alive & Thrive

Interactive Learning Exchange - Exploring Strategies to Reach and Work with Adolescents

Within the framework of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the World Bank and its partners are working with countries to address health and development problems of vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents. One crucial component of the healthy development of adolescents is good nutrition. Yet this population has received little...

Published in 2004, by World Bank

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 04 - Women's Role in Food Chain Activities and the Implications for Nutrition

We hope that the wide-ranging information herein will further the crucially important cause of women, specifically in relation to nutrition, in several ways. First, women's central role in providing for adequate nutrition - of families, communities, and indeed nations - in being described here in detail should help to give increased prominence to the need...

Published in 1989, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 05 - Malnutrition and Infection - A review

The combination of malnutrition and infection causes most of the preventable deaths in developing countries, certainly among young children. Malnutrition increases the risk and worsens the course of infectious disease; and infection leads to malnutrition. Thus we have used the expression “malnutrition-infection complex”. Good nutrition undoubtedly is a...

Published in 1989, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 06 - Women and Nutrition

Women, throughout most of the world, have the major responsibility for their families' nutrition. Their own nutrition is often impaired, under the social and biological stresses they face. Developments that improve women's position in society are likely to improve nutrition overall, and are essential for this. Equally, any activities aimed at preventing...

Published in 1990, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 09 - Controlling Iron Deficiency

Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common nutritional disorder in the world, affecting particularly pregnant and lactating women and pre-school children. Supplementation with ferrous sulphate tablets (often including folic acid) is efficacious but problems exist with effectiveness of large scale programmes in developing countries. Nonetheless, improvement...

Published in 1991, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 11 - Nutrition and Population Links - Breastfeeding, Family Planning and Child Health

The fact remains that, at the community level, family planning services are quite separate from nutrition and health interventions despite their reinforcing effects. It is another reflection of the trend towards segmental primary health care which we have witnessed in the last ten years. What the field does, is usually what the centre decides and provides -...

Published in 1992, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 16 - Nutrition and Poverty

This report presents a collection of papers discussed at the 24th Session of the United Nations Sub-Committee on Nutrition, held in March 1997 in Kathmandu. The Symposium presenters and discussants traced the origins of child malnutrition to low birth weight, maternal deprivation and discrimination against girls and women in South Asia. Malnutrition in the...

Published in 1997, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 17 - Challenges for the 21st Century: A Gender Perspective on Nutrition through the Life Cycle

To accelerate progress in tackling malnutrition, adequate food, health, and care must be ensured throughout the lifecycle. Good nutrition during pregnancy reduces the likelihood of low birth weight and improves pregnancy outcomes. Promotion of growth and development in the young infant and child leads to a well-nourished school-aged child who can participate...

Published in 1998, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 18 - Low Birthweight

This Nutrition Policy Paper was produced by the ACC/SCN in collaboration with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh: Centre for Health and Population Research. It summarizes the proceedings of the Low Birthweight Symposium and Workshop held in Dhaka in June 1999. Evidence regarding interventions to prevent low birthweight and...

Published in 2000, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 19 - What Works? A Review of the Efficacy and Effectiveness of Nutrition Interventions

This review takes the perspective of low-income Asia, because the study was commissioned by the Asian Development Bank to inform its policy dialogue with Asian governments. We believe the review will be useful for ADB and all development partners selecting nutrition interventions as stand-alone activities or components in integrated social development...

Published in 2001, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 20 - Nutrition and HIV/AIDS

This Nutrition Policy Paper is based on the ACC/SCN Symposium on Nutrition and HIV/AIDS held in Nairobi in April 2001. The objective of the symposium was, firstly, to stimulate collaboration between the nutrition and HIV/AIDS communities. The second objective was to examine a broad range of nutrition issues that have a direct bearing on policies and...

Published in 2001, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No 22 - Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy in Developing Country Settings

This issue of Nutrition Policy paper focuses on multiple micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy in developing country settings.

Published in 2009, by United Nations University

Opportunities for Africa’s Newborns: Practical data, policy and programme support for newborn care in Africa

For preventing malnutrition in young children, it is vital to promote newborn survival and to improve birth weights. The book provides an overview of the continuum of care through the lifecycle and opportunities to address gaps at all levels - family and community care, outreach services and health care facilities. Case studies are analysed in order to learn...

Published in 2010, by WHO, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child health

Pour une développement optimal du foetus

Ce rapport présente les conclusions d'une consultation technique qui a eu lieu pour discuter de l'élaboration d'une stratégie pour promouvoir la croissance et le développement optimal du foetus.

Published in 2006, by OMS - WHO

Progrès pour les enfants : un bilan de la nutrition (No. 4)

Le présent bilan – le quatrième d’une série de l’UNICEF qui surveille les progrès accomplis en faveur des enfants – mesure les résultats obtenus au plan mondial dans le domaine de la nutrition, en prenant comme indicateur principal le pourcentage d’enfants de moins de cinq ans présentant une insuffi sance pondérale. La communauté...

Published in 2006, by UNICEF

Progreso para la infancia: un balance sobre la nutrición (No. 4)

El propósito de este balance –el cuarto de una serie de balances preparados por UNICEF para realizar un seguimiento sobre el progreso de la infancia hacia los ODM– es evaluar el desempeño mundial en materia de nutrición, tomando como indicador básico la prevalencia de peso inferior al normal entre los niños y niñas menores de cinco años. Aun...

Published in 2006, by UNICEF

Progress for children. A world fit for children. Statistical review

The sixth issue of Progress for Children reports on the status of child-specific targets set by world leaders at the May 2002 UN General Assembly Special Session on Children. This special edition examines more than 35 key indicators in the four broad areas identified at the Special Session as requisite to building ‘A World Fit for Children’. It also...

Published in 2007, by UNICEF

Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition (No. 4)

This report card – the fourth in a UNICEF series that monitors progress for children towards the MDGs – measures the world’s performance on nutrition, taking the prevalence of underweight among children under five as its primary indicator. The global community promised to cut the proportion of underweight children by half between 1990 and 2015, but we...

Published in 2006, by UNICEF

Promoción del desarollo fetal óptimo

Este informe presenta los resultados de una reunión consultiva técnica que se celebró para discutir el desarrollo de una estrategia para promover el crecimiento y el desarrollo fetal óptimo.

Published in 2006, by OMS - WHO

Promoting optimal fetal development

This report presents the findings of a Technical Consultation that was held to discuss the development of a strategy to promote optimal fetal growth and development.

Published in 2006, by WHO

Protecting Health from Climate Change: Connecting Science Policy and People

A new report from WHO presents an overview of the science of the links between climate change and human health. It provides an update of the evidence on health risks caused by climate change, describes which populations are most vulnerable, and outlines the actions that will be necessary to protect health from climate change.

Published in 2009, by WHO

Protocol for the management of Severe Acute Malnutrition

With training materials and a summary wall chart. National guidelines based in recent standard protocols. Suitable for managers and health workers.

Published in 2007, by Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health

Refugee Nutrition Information System No 27 - Report on the Nutrition Situation of Refugee and Displaced Populations

The UN ACC/SCN issues these reports on the nutrition of refugees and displaced people with the intention of raising awareness and facilitating action to improve the situation. This is the twenty seventh of a regular series of reports. Information is obtained from a wide range of collaborating agencies, both UN and NGO. The information available is mainly...

Published in 1999, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Repositioning Nutrition as Central to Development: A Strategy for Large-Scale Action

Putting an end to extreme malnutrition will lay the foundation for improving the health and well-being of the present generation and lead to benefits for future generations over the 21st century. This report is written primarily for the community of international development partners, as well as those in government and civil society concerned with action to improve nutrition.

Published in 2006, by World Bank

SCN News No 06 - Preventing Anaemia

The main topics of this SCN News are: Recommendations on the deficiency control methods - especially supplementation - from recent ACC/SCN workshop; Policies to Improve Nutrition - Review of recent experience, focusing on household food security, malnutrition/infection, and caring capacity; Weaning Foods - Fermentation reduces contamination; adding...

Published in 1990, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

SCN News No 09 - Focus on Micronutrients

Deficiencies in the intake or absorption of vitamin A, iron, and iodine have serious consequences for health and mental and physical function. The clinical manifestations of these nutritional deficiencies - such as xerophthalmia, anaemia, and goitre - have been identified as major problems with increasing public health significance. This issue of SCN News...

Published in 1993, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

SCN News No 11 - Maternal and Child Nutrition

This SCN News focuses on maternal and child nutrition. Birthweight, child growth and adolescent growth - all needing good nutrition - determine nutritional status before and during pregnancy. Therefore, maternal nutrition influences foetal growth and birthweight, of this and future generations.

Published in 1994, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

SCN News No 13 - Behavioural Change and Nutrition Programmes; Poor Nutrition and Chronic Disease

This issue of SCN News features a report of discussions at the ACC/SCN symposium on behavioural change and nutrition programmes as well as a report of the proceedings of the ACC/SCN symposium on nutrition in the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and obesity in developing countries.

Published in 1995, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

SCN News No 36 - Accelerating the Reduction of Maternal and Child Undernutrition

This edition of the SCN News is of special relevance for a variety of reasons, not least of which being the recommendations agreed at the 35th Session held in Hanoi in March 2008, hosted by the Government of Vietnam. The 35th Session was aimed at understanding how to accelerate the reduction of maternal and child undernutrition, drawing on the recently...

Published in 2008, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

SCN News No 38: Climate Change: food and nutrition security implications

This edition of the SCN News is rightfully dedicated to climate change and its implications on food and nutrition. It is hoped to be thought provoking, showing you how climate change impacts on nutrition. The topic has been approached from very different angles: impacts on food security (in general, in the Asia-Pacific region and sub-Saharan Africa),...

Published in 2010, by SCN

Second Report on the World Nutrition Situation - Volume I: Global and Regional Results

This Second Report on the World Nutrition Situation comes at an important time. In the near future human well-being, to which nutrition is fundamental, could improve more rapidly throughout the world; but economic adjustments and mass migration are continuing threats. The results here show steady, if slow, progress in many countries in the last few years....

Published in 1992, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Second Report on the World Nutrition Situation - Volume II: Country Trends Methods and Statistics

Country-level data are intended to illustrate and promote understanding of observed trends in nutrition. They also, importantly, show the variety of situations, smoothed out in the regional data, from rapid improvement to stagnation or deterioration. As discussed in the text, the choice of countries was biased towards those with large populations. This means...

Published in 1993, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Shared experiences in infant and young child feeding in emergencies

The following compilation of case studies was compiled in the course of an ENN/GIFA project on behalf of the Core group who are currently developing training materials for field staff working in infant feeding in emergencies.

Published in 2003, by Emergency Nutrition Network

State of the world’s mothers 2007: Saving the lives of children under 5

This report clearly links the health of children with the health of mothers.

Published in 2007, by Save the Children

Suivre les progrès dans le domaine de la nutrition de l'enfant et de la mère : une priorité en matière de survie et de développement

Il est urgent de redoubler d'efforts pour lutter contre la sous-nutrition, qui contribue à plus d'un tiers des décès des enfants de moins de cinq ans dans le monde. Le rapport « Suivre les progrès dans le domaine de la nutrition de l'enfant et de la mère » présente des informations sur les stratégies à suivre en matière de nutrition, les progrès...

Published in 2009, by UNICEF

The Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project Effectiveness and Lessons

The Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Programme (BINP) represented the first large-scale government intervention in nutrition. The program began in 1995; it was followed in 2002 by the National Nutrition Programme (NNP) and is being followed up now with a sector wide health approach. Nutrition also features significantly in the draft poverty reduction...

Published in 2005, by World Bank

The World Bank's Nutrition Toolkit

The World Bank's Nutrition Toolkit aims to help World Bank staff design and supervise effective and feasible nutrition projects and project components and to carry out comprehensive analysis of sectoral and policy issues affecting nutrition.

Published in 2009, by World Bank

Third Report on the World Nutrition Situation

This Third Report on the World Nutrition Situation is part of a series of SCN reports initiated in the mid 80s on nutritional status of populations in developing countries. The centrepiece of earlier reports was estimates of regional trends in underweight of preschool children. This Third Report presents, for the first time, information on global and...

Published in 1997, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition

Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition: A survival and development priority

There is an urgent need to accelerate efforts throughout the world to reduce undernutrition, which contributes to more than one third of all deaths in children under age 5. Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition provides information on nutrition strategies, progress made by programmes and current challenges, based on the most recent data...

Published in 2009, by UNICEF

Update on the Nutrition Situation - Recent Trends in Nutrition in 33 Countries

The report aims to describe recent trends in nutrition and certain potential determining factors, country-by-country. The approach is unavoidably ad hoc, due to the variable availability of data. Selected indicators of likely determinants of year-to-year change are emphasized, especially related to economic stress. Such factors are thought to be having...

Published in 1989, by UN Standing Committee on Nutrition