VE MATERNAL, INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD NUTRITION se) oO Malnutrition remains a serious impediment to the progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Yet many of the nutrition challenges that have persisted for decades can be resolved within our generation. Recognizing that accelerated global action is needed to address the pervasive and corrosive problem of malnutrition, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently identified a set of global targets designed to reduce the unacceptably high burdens of disease and death caused by poor nutrition, particularly during the eritical 1,000 days between a woman's pregnancy and a child's 2 birthday.” By aligning the global community behind six targets almed at improving the nutritional status of mothers, infants and young children and committing to a decade of investment to expand nutrition interventions, we can prevent the deaths of one million children per year and help build the foundations for healthier and more prosperous societies. (GLOBAL TARGET 1: BY 2025, REDUCE BY 40% THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5 WHO ARE STUNTED. ‘© Problem: Stunting is the irreversible result of chronic nutritional deprivation during the most critical phase of child development-the 1,000 days between a woman's pregnancy and her child's 2» birthday. Stunted children have weaker immune systems making them more likely to die from common illnesses and disease, and suffer from Impaired brain development making them less able to learn in school and earn a good living as an adult. ‘© Results: A reduction in the number of stunted children from 17 million in 2040 to approximately 100 million. (GLOBAL TARGET 2: BY 2025, ACHIEVE A'50% REDUCTION IN ANEMIA IN WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE. ‘* Problem: Anemia in women increases the risk of dying during childbirth and increases the risk of babies being born with low birth weight. Iron deficiency anemia affects 1/3 of all women of reproductive age throughout the world ‘© Results: A reduction in the number of anemic, non-pregnant women from 468 million to approximately 230 million. (GLOBAL TARGET 3: BY 2025, ACHIEVE A 30% REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF INFANTS BORN LOW BIRTH WEIGHT. ‘* Problem: An infant's weight at birth is a strong indicator of his or her chances for survival, growth, and long-term health and development. In the developing worl, low birth weight stems primarily from poor maternal nutritional status before conception, maternal short stature due mostly to undernutrition and infections during childhood and oor nutrition during pregnancy. ‘+ Results: 3.9% relative reduction in the number of infants born with low birth weight per year. (GLOBAL TARGET 4: BY 2025, ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT. ‘© Problem: Obese children are likely to grow into obese adults, have an Increased risk of diabetes and liver disease, and have poorer economic prospects later in if. ‘© Results: The number of overweight children under age 5 would not increase from current levels of 43 million to forecasted levels of approximately 70 milion. (GLOBAL TARGET 5: BY 2025, INCREASE TO AT LEAST 50% THE RATE OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS. ‘+ Problem: A non-breastfed child is 14 times more likely to die in their first six months of life than a child who is exclusively breastfed. Though breastfeeding is the single most effective nutrition intervention for saving lives, global breastfeeding rates have stagnated or dropped in most regions of the world to an estimated 37%. ‘© Results: 2.3% relative increase per year would lead to approximately 10 million more children per year being exclusively breastfed until six months of age. (GLOBAL TARGET 6: BY 2025, REDUCE AND MAINTAIN CHILDHOOD WASTING TO LESS THAN 5%. ‘© Problem: Commonly used to indicate the severity of a famine or food crisis, wasting is the result of grave disease and/or deprivation of nutritious food at a specific point in time and is seen as an early warning for future increases in chronic undernutrition. The proportion of childhood wasting rose in the second half of the last decade, likely as a ‘consequence of the dramatic spikes in food prices. ‘© Results: Current global prevalence of wasting of 8.6% should be reduced to less than 5% by 2025 and maintained below such levels, "These targets were endorsed hy the 65" World Heath Assembly In May 2012 as part of WHO's comprehensive plan on maternal, infant and young chil nutiton. Sources Black, R, etal "Maternal and Child Undernutiion” The Lancet. January 2008; Save the Cilen "The Cid Development Index 2012" UNICEF “commiting to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed! Progress Report 2012,