Global nutrition issues: A WHO perspective

Full text: Hunger and malnutrition are among the most devastating problems facing the world's needy, and they are especially compromising for the health of the poorest nations. Millions are denied access to their fundamental right to adequate food and nutrition, and to freedom from malnutrition in its many forms. Food insecurity threatens 800 million people, many of whom depend on food aid for their survival. There has been some measurable success in reducing the global burden of malnutrition over the last decade, with a slow but continuous fall in the prevalence of underweight malnutrition, iodine deficiency disorders, and vitamin A deficiency in children. Nevertheless, malnutrition still kills, maims, cripples and blinds on a massive scale worldwide; it is both a major cause and effect - and a key indicator - of poverty and underdevelopment. Some 30 million low-birth-weight babies - 23.8% of the global total- are born every year, reflecting intrauterine growth retardation; fully 60% of the 10.9 million deaths among under-five children each year in developing countries are associated with underweight malnutrition; 161 million pre-school children suffer stunting (chronic) malnutrition; iodine deficiency is the greatest single preventable cause of brain damage and mental retardation worldwide; vitamin A deficiency remains the single greatest preventable cause of childhood blindness, and significantly increases morbidity and mortality; and immense problems of iron and folate deficiency, and resulting anaemia, affect more than 60% of women of childbearing age and millions of young children in developing countries, further increasing morbidity, mortality and developmental retardation in these already susceptible populations. At the same time, in both industrialized and rapidly industrializing countries, a massive obesity epidemic is emerging among children, adolescents and adults, especially as a result of unhealthy diets and sedentary life-styles. More than half the adult population is affected in some countries, resulting in increased death rates from heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, some cancers and other chronic degenerative diseases. Many countries facing this nutritional transition of changing diets and lifestyles are weighed down by a dual burden of over- and under-nutrition in their populations. WHO has a fundamental role in tackling these vast nutritional challenges by working with, and strengthening the ability of, Member States both to identify and reduce all forms of malnutrition, and to promote healthy nutrition and lifestyles. It calls for focusing WHO's combined nutritional programmatic and normative strengths through a vigorous outreach in regions and countries, as well as through strong collaborative action with the other key UN organizations such as IAEA, FAO, UNICEF, WFP, as well as others of the international community. Translating this fundamental role into an effective practical strategy means for that - with varying emphasis, as determined by national and regional priorities - (a) reinforcing evidence-based action against maternal malnutrition, intrauterine growth retardation, and childhood and adolescent malnutrition; (b) improving growth monitoring and nutrition surveillance; (c) reinforcing national, regional and global action to improve infant and young child feeding; (d) monitoring progress towards eliminating iodine deficiency disorders and support universal salt iodization; (e) monitoring and combating vitamin A deficiency, anaemia and other widespread nutritional and micro nutrient deficiencies; (f) developing global, regional and national strategies for preventing and reducing obesity and other diet related diseases and for promoting healthy nutrition and lifestyles; (g) assisting Member States in strengthening their nutrition policies and programmes; and (h) supporting countries and front-line agencies in tackling nutrition and malnutrition in disasters and emergencies. (author)