JUL/AUG 2014
FOCUS ON MATERNAL, INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD NUTRITION
EVENTS UPDATE
ILSI SEA Region Seminar on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition in Indonesia
It is now known that good nutrition during the 1,000-day period between the start of a woman’s pregnancy through to her child’s second birthday lays the foundation for a healthy and productive future, both for the individual child as well as the entire country. Malnutrition during this critical period results in irreversible physical and cognitive impairments that prevent children from achieving their full potential. It is therefore essential that mothers in developing countries like Indonesia are given the opportunity to provide their children a healthy start in life.
The health of mothers, their new-born infants and young children in Indonesia remains a major challenge. The country reports a high rate of adolescent pregnancy, raising concerns about nutrition needs during this critical period of growth and development for both mother and infant. Among young children, the prevalence of stunting remains high with the double burden of malnutrition and overweight in children occurring in a number of regions. Complementary feeding that provides dietary diversity will be vital to ensure that nutrient needs are met.
ILSI SEA Region, as part of its ongoing Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Program, has convened, together with the Ministry of Health Indonesia, the Seminar on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition in Indonesia in Jakarta on August 13th, 2014. The seminar will examine the current nutrition and health status of adolescent females, pregnant and lactating women and their implications on the health of infants and young children; discuss existing programs that address the needs of adolescent females, pregnant and lactating mothers, infants and young children; and identify gaps in existing knowledge and programs using a continuum of care perspective. More information on the seminar is available HERE.
4th Expert Consultation on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition
The ILSI SEA Region Expert Consultation Series on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition aims to generate and promote relevant science-based information that will help improve the nutritional status of pregnant women, infants and young children in Southeast Asia. Consultations in 2009, 2011, and 2012 have identified relevant issues and knowledge gaps regarding maternal and infant nutrition in the region. The upcoming Consultation, a closed-door session to be held in Jakarta on 14th August, 2014, will focus on the nutrition situation of pregnant adolescents in Southeast Asia, in line with the 2012 Consultation’s recommendation that improving maternal health is a priority that needs to be addressed in the region, and acknowledging the increasing rate of adolescent pregnancies being reported in the Southeast Asia region. The nutritional status of young women at the time of conception and during pregnancy is important for fetal growth and development, making adolescent nutrition relevant to maternal nutrition.
ILSI SEAR Australasia Workshop on Maternal and Infant Nutrition
I LSI SEAR Australasia, together with the Omega-3 Centre, will be presenting an update in the field of infant and maternal nutrition at the Workshop “Maternal and Infant Nutrition, New Australian Research and More” on the 19th August, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. The workshop will showcase the latest research on this topic, and increase awareness of Australian studies and of the groups involved in this area of research. More information on the Workshop is available HERE. |
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NEWS AND RESEARCH
Global Monitoring Framework on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition
Member states at the 67th World Health Assembly, held in May 2014 in Geneva, approved a ‘Global Monitoring Framework on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition’. The monitoring framework was developed in order to assess progress made towards the objectives of the ‘Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition’, including six global targets, concerning improvements by 2025 in: stunting, anemia, low birth weight, overweight, exclusive breastfeeding, and wasting. The monitoring framework will track implementation of selected programs required to achieve these global targets (for use at global and national levels) and implementation of all programs required to achieve national targets (for use at national and at sub-national levels). The draft monitoring framework is available HERE.
Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity
The Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, announced at the 67th World Health Assembly in Geneva in May, has been tasked with producing a report specifying which approaches and combinations of interventions are likely to be most effective in childhood obesity prevention in different contexts around the world. The Commission is to be co-chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Dr. Sania Nishtar, founder and President of Heartfile. The Commission will be supported by two working groups, namely the Working Group on Science and Evidence, and the Working Group on Implementation, Monitoring and Accountability. These groups will be comprised of a broad variety of experts including social scientists, public health specialists, clinical scientists and economists, as well as actors responsible for food production, manufacturing, marketing and retail; maternal health and nutrition; child health, education and health literacy; physical activity; and public policy. The Commission will deliver its report to the WHO Director-General in early 2015 so that its recommendations can be conveyed to the 2015 World Health Assembly. More information can be accessed HERE.
Report Shows 1 in 5 Children in OECD Countries is Overweight or Obese
A report by the OECD on obesity around the world, ‘Obesity Update’, has shown that there has been a nearly tenfold increase in the rate of obesity worldwide, with one in five children in OECD countries now overweight or obese. A copy of the report can be accessed HERE.
GUSTO Study Singapore
The ongoing research project ‘Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO)’ conducted at the Singapore Centre for Nutritional Sciences, Metabolic Diseases and Human Development (SiNMeD) and led by Associate Professor Chong Yap Seng, Senior Consultant, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, National University Health System (NUHS), is Singapore’s largest and most comprehensive birth cohort study. The study aims to provide valuable insight into the link between maternal/infant nutrition and the development of NCDs such as obesity and diabetes later in life, to aid in their prevention and management. A recent publication from the study: ‘Dietary changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period in Singaporean Chinese, Malay and Indian women: the GUSTO birth cohort study’ can be accessed HERE.
Australian Children Score Poorly on Physical Activity Report Card
The 2014 Active Healthy Kids Australia Report Card on Physical Activity for Children & Young People shows that 80 percent of Australian children aged 5-17 are not meeting the minimum requirements for physical activity. The report, based upon the best available evidence from both national and state-based surveys, was supported by the National Heart Foundation of Australia and developed by a Research Working Group comprised of experts from across Australia. A full copy of the report can be found HERE.
Nutrition and Growth Yearbook 2014
The Nutrition and Growth Yearbook 2014 has recently been released by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute. Edited by Professor Berthold Koletzko, Dr. Ranaan Shamir, Dr. Dominique Turck, and Dr. Moshe Phillip, the Nutrition and Growth Yearbook highlights research and conference proceedings that represent the most important potential contribution to understanding the critical relationship between nutrition and growth in children. The studies address cognition, nutrition and growth in chronic diseases, obesity, and malnutrition and catch-up growth. For more information, click HERE.
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