New Research Shows Nutrition Programs Targeting Pregnancy and First 24 Months of Life Dramatically Improve Child Survival and Over... (n mothers and children under 5 die unnec...)

HOME >> MEDICINE >> NEWS

New Research Shows Nutrition Programs Targeting Pregnancy and First 24 Months of Life Dramatically Improve Child Survival and Overall Health

Date:1/16/2008

n mothers and children under 5 die unnecessarily each year in poor countries due to the underlying cause of undernutrition, and millions more are permanently disabled by the physical and mental effects of a poor dietary intake in the earliest months of life," said the series lead author, Dr. Robert Black, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "This series provides a new evidence base for expanded nutrition-related programs and interventions, which if implemented at scale would prevent many of these deaths and disabilities."

Undernutrition includes a wide array of effects, including:

-- Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) resulting in low birth-weight

-- Stunting, a chronic restriction of growth in height indicated by a low height-for-age

-- Wasting, an acute weight loss indicated by a low weight-for-height; and

-- Less visible micronutrient deficiencies.

Undernutrition is caused by a poor dietary intake that does not provide sufficient nutrients and by common infectious diseases, such as diarrhea. These conditions are most significant in the first 2 years of life.

The research shows that 178 million children under 5 -- the vast majority of which live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-Central Asia -- suffer from stunting. An estimated 55 million children suffer from wasting, 19 million of whom are affected by severe acute malnutrition.

Stunting, severe wasting and low birth-weight contribute to an estimated 2.2 million deaths annually--representing 21 percent of all causes of death for children under 5 years old. They are also responsible for 7 percent of the total disease burden for any age group, the highest of any risk factor for overall global disease burden.

Among micronutrient deficiencies, vitamin A and zinc are the greatest contributors to disease burden because of their direct effects on child health. Sub-optimal breastfeeding increases the risk of poor nutrient inta
'/>"/>

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Related medicine news :

1. Stanford researchers find culprit in aging muscles that heal poorly
2. Children of depressed moms do better when dad is involved, SLU researcher finds
3. UCLA researchers identify markers that may predict diabetes in still-healthy people
4. Mayo Clinic researchers discover new diagnostic test for detecting infection in prosthetic joints
5. New research shows how chronic stress worsens neurodegenerative disease course
6. New research explores newborn in-hospital weight loss
7. Research may unlock mystery of autisms origin in the brain
8. Bipolar disorder relapses halved by Melbourne researchers
9. HIVs impact in Zimbabwe explored in new research
10. U.S. Research Funding Continues to Flatten as U.S. Health Costs Climb - in August 31 Science
11. Cell that triggers symptoms in allergy attacks can also limit damage, Stanford researchers find

Post Your Comments:

New Research Shows Nutrition Programs Targeting Pregnancy and First 24 Months of Life Dramatically Improve Child Survival and Over...(n mothers and children under 5 die unnec...),Health