Promoting Healthy Growth: What Are the Priorities for Research and Action?

Abstract

Healthy growth from conception through the first 2 y of life is the foundation for adequate organ formation and function, a strong immune system, physical health, and neurological and cognitive development. Recent studies identified several low-cost interventions to address undernutrition during this age period and noted the lower returns on investment of intervening after this critical period. Although these interventions should be implemented widely, it is recognized that existing nutrition solutions, even if universally applied, would only avert a minority fraction of the estimated death and disability due to undernutrition. This paper reviews some of the knowledge and learning needed to close this "impact gap." Five areas are prioritized for future research: 1) study healthy growth from a lifecycle perspective, because maternal, fetal, and newborn outcomes are connected; 2) understand why growth faltering begins so early in breast-fed infants in the developing world; 3) apply new tools and technologies to study long-recognized problems such as the interaction between nutrition and infection; 4) explore new hypotheses for understanding nutrient assimilation and use to discover and develop intervention leads; and 5) understand the role of the environment in healthy growth and the potential synergistic benefits of multi-sectoral interventions. Policymakers are urged to invest in nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions to promote healthy growth from conception through the first 2 y of life because of their immediate and long-term health and development benefits.

The Double Burden of Undernutrition and Overnutrition in Developing Countries: an Update

“…Wasting often is observed in developing countries with chronic or acute periods of food insecurity and is exacerbated by infectious disease [10]. Stunting (low height for age) or linear growth faltering is a reflection of chronic malnutrition that might occur even in regions and households with apparent food security [11]. Stunting may be an independent condition or may occur along with wasting [5].…”

The effect of maternal and child factors on stunting, wasting and underweight among preschool children in Northern Ghana

“…Despite the high prevalence of stunting among children, its determinants are poorly established and understood [10] and limited studies have been undertaken especially in the Northern region to identify the determinants of malnutrition among children [11]. As Ghana strives to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030, ensuring nutritional well-being is key [8].…”

Maternal Body Mass Index Is Strongly Associated with ChildrenZ-Scores for Height and BMI

“…Preschool children have been specifically studied because their health status is a sensitive indicator of overall community health, particularly among disadvantaged groups in populations [28,29]. This group is also nutritionally vulnerable due to their easy susceptibility to undernutrition and infection [30,31].…”