Women’s nutrition: Foundation to achieving the WHA global targets for 2025 Sixth Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security Kampala, Uganda – 28 to 30 October 2015 Dr Adelheid W. Onyango
World Health Assembly Global Nutrition Targets
First 1000 days begin with maternal health and wellbeing Maternal correlates of child malnutrition Poor nutrition during pre-conception, pregnancy and lactation Short stature Infection Adolescent pregnancy Mental health Short birth spacing Hypertension
Maternal nutrition indicators Who’s affected Associated risks Maternal BMI <18.5 Short stature (<145 cm) >20% in SSA and South Asia (40% in Bangladesh, Eritrea, India) >10% in South-central Asia Poor fetal growth and development Obstetric complications BMI >30 (obesity) Increasing globally Complications in pregnancy High BW and risk of obesity in children Iron-deficiency anemia 29% WRA (496 million) 38% pregnant women (32.4 million) South Asia and Central & West Africa Reduced birth weight Higher risk of perinatal and maternal mortality
Adolescent girls: school attendance and childbearing UNICEF: State of the World’s Children – 2015
Adolescent childbearing: risks Social status compromised (school dropout, dependency and poverty) – disempowerment Health and nutrition risks for still-growing pregnant girls Adolescence is the age group with highest prevalence of anaemia High risk of low birth weight babies Adolescents are less likely than older mothers to breastfeed or to receive support Ill-equipped to nurture their infants and make the right choices on IYCF
World Health Assembly Global Nutrition Targets
Mwebale! Thank You! Merci!!