Maternal and Child Nutrition:
Building Momentum for Impact
Maternal and Child Nutrition Study Group Members: Robert E Black1, Harold Alderman2, Zulfiqar A Bhutta3,
Stuart Gillespie4, Lawrence Haddad5, Susan Horton6, Anna Lartey7, Venkatesh Mannar8, Marie Ruel9,
Cesar G Victora10, Susan P Walker11, and Patrick Webb12
1 Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Food Policy Research Institute
3 Aga Khan University
4 International Food Policy Research Institute
5 Institute of Development Studies
6 University of Waterloo
7 University of Ghana
8 The Micronutrient Initiative
9 International Food Policy Research Institute
10 Universidade Federal de Pelotas
11 The University of the West Indies
12 Tufts University
2 International
Nutrition: A Massive Unfinished Agenda
Since 2008: tremendous increase in political commitment to improve
nutrition; yet this has translated into only modest impact.
This represents a massive unfinished agenda to address the cause
of 45% (3.1 million) of all under 5 child deaths and the 165 million
children who are stunted.
These 165 million children with stunted growth have compromised
cognitive development and physical capabilities, making yet another
generation less productive than they would otherwise be.
2
Global Targets Within Reach
The World Health Assembly (WHA) nutrition targets for
reducing stunting, wasting, low birth weight, anaemia and
overweight, and increasing exclusive breastfeeding in the
first six months of life by 2025 will not be achieved at the
current rate of modest progress
With concerted effort and sufficient support,
the WHA targets are achievable
3
Interventions and Programmes
10 proven nutrition-specific interventions could reduce child deaths
by 900,000 per year in 34 high-burden countries and stunting by a
fifth
Some, but not all, programmes in agriculture, cash transfers, early
child development and schooling have shown an improvement in
nutrition and development
Nutrition-sensitive programmes with the most positive effect on
nutrition had nutrition goals and actions, reached mothers and
children early and for longer durations and targeted the poorest and
most undernourished
4
Enabling Environment for Nutrition
Investments need to be directed not only to
interventions but also to the environments that
enable them
Requires strategic investment in building
commitment, capacity and leadership, timely
data on the problem, its causes and programme
performance, accountability mechanisms,
resource mobilisation and strengthening
institutions for sustainable implementation
5
Nutrition Foundational to Development
This series furthers the evidence base that good nutrition is a
fundamental driver of a wide range of development goals
Countries will not be able to break out of poverty and sustain
economic advances if so much of their population fails to get the
nutrition needed for a healthy and productive life
Undernutrition reduces a nation’s economic advancement by at least
8% (direct productivity losses, losses via poorer cognition, and losses
via reduced schooling)
The post-2015 development agenda must prioritise addressing
all forms of malnutrition at the top of its goals
6
We Must Ramp Up Spending;
and the Cost is Affordable
New estimates show that an additional $9.6 billion annually in high
burden countries could save nearly a million children per year
An increase in donor spending is vital if nutrition targets are to be met
or surpassed
Government spending in LMIC needs to match or exceed this rate of
increase
Nutrition budget lines need to be established in all high-burden
countries
The Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement is a critical driver in
this effort and support for it must remain strong
7
Research Needs
To develop scalable interventions or improve their effectiveness,
especially to prevent fetal growth restriction, stunting, wasting and
micronutrient deficiencies and enhance breastfeeding practices
To determine the features of nutrition-sensitive programmes that
result in nutritional benefits
To show how the private sector can best support optimal nutrition
To understand the drivers of country success, how to create enabling
environments and how to mobilise national resources
Each paper includes a list of relevant research needs
8
NOW is Our Critical Window of Opportunity to
Scale Up Nutrition
National and international
momentum to address
human nutrition and related
food security and health
needs has never been higher
We must work together to seize this
opportunity
9
Thank You
10