Gates Foundation Nutrition Strategy Overview

Gates Foundation Nutrition Strategy Overview LINK

In developing countries, undernutrition leads to increased risk of mortality due
to infections such as diarrhea and pneumonia and is the underlying cause of onethird
of all deaths in children under 5 years of age. Among surviving children,
approximately one-third suffer from stunting, which is associated with poor
school performance and subsequent low economic productivity.1 Undernourished
women are at a greater risk of dying from pregnancy complications compared
to well-nourished women and have a higher risk of delivering low birth weight
babies. Their children are at higher risk later in life of physical and cognitive
impairments and nutrition-related chronic diseases.2 Data indicate that the
overwhelming majority of people who are undernourished live in South Asia
and sub-Saharan Africa, where 10 countries account for two-thirds of all stunted
children worldwide.

A set of key proven interventions exist, that if implemented at sufficient scale,
could reduce the burden of undernutrition and associated maternal and child
death and disability by one-quarter.3 These interventions include promotion of
optimal breastfeeding practices; age-appropriate complementary feeding that is
adequate in quantity and quality from 6-24 months; and interventions to ensure
sufficient intakes of key vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, zinc, iron, folic
acid, and iodine in the diet. Some of these have been successfully implemented,
with the global coverage of vitamin A supplementation rising from 16 to 79
percent between 1999 and 2009,4 and the global coverage of iodized salt reaching
71 percent in 2009.5