WHO Program: Essential Nutrition Actions: Improving Maternal, Newborn, Infant And Young Child Health And Nutrition

WHO Program: Essential Nutrition Actions: Improving Maternal, Newborn, Infant And Young Child Health And Nutrition

Introduction

Malnutrition is one of the main and leading causes of death and causes disabilities all over the world. Malnutrition in any form, directly, indirectly has a very close link to an increase in the health disparities. World statistics record that in 2011 almost 101 million children who were under the age of 5 years were below the recommended weight and 165 million children were reported to be stunted. Similarly 43 million children under the age of 5 years were obese or over weight (WHO, 2013). The primary causes of malnutrition are directly linked to poor diet or any disease leading to it. The indirect causes can be classified as poor healthcare services, maternal health, child care, household food insufficiency and the overall environment where a child lives. Health sector is responsible to intervene the nutrition issues and address the problems associated with it, at time the non-health issues can also become critical to handle. Actions and approach to cover the nutritional issues needs to be multi dimensional so that the targeted problems can be tackled covering various causes and leading to a sustainable change.

Discussion

Breastfeeding

There are some interventions which require implementation at mass levels and acceptance of that intervention needs sufficient and adapting behaviors. Breast feeding is one of the interventions that require implementation very soon the child is born. It is important to note that the breastfeeding should be initiated right after delivery, a child born should be exclusively breastfeed for about 6 months and the process should be continued till the child is 2 years old. The consequences of not following these interventions are obvious in the form of poor growth of the child as well as poor nutrition for the first 2 years produces critical effects throughout the life (WHO, 2013). Breastfeeding the child for the recommended period brings healthy outcomes for the child, and all these activities play a significant role and incur long term benefits till the child enters into the adolescence period.

The successful establishment of this intervention requires the actions to be taken to promote the healthy behaviors, creating a supportive environment for the mothers in the hospital as well as at home. The hospital staff should be trained and the professionals should deliver all the ...