Vision: A world where women and girls realize their right to adequate nutrition before, during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Despite significant progress being made in empowering adolescent girls and women around the world, inequitable access to nutritious food, services, and care practices still exists, and this is especially true for mothers. This means that malnutrition also persists.
Approximately 36 percent of pregnant mothers, or approximately 32 million women, suffer from anemia. This is mainly due to iron deficiency or lack of other essential nutrients in the diet.
Improving maternal nutrition can help children get the best start in life
Nutritional anemia and micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy and lactation not only threaten a woman’s own life and health, but also increase the risk of potentially life-threatening complications during childbirth and increase the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death. It also increases
Children born to malnourished mothers are more likely to suffer from stunting in early childhood; waste of money and long-term health complications that can have a significant negative impact on physical and cognitive development, learning, and overall potential into adulthood.
Acceleration plan to deliver a package of essential services to 16 million girls and women in 16 countries
Announced by UNICEF on March 14th Improving maternal nutrition: An accelerated plan to prevent malnutrition and anemia during pregnancya strategic framework to deliver a package of essential nutrition services to 16 million girls and women in 16 countries by the end of 2025.
These 16 countries have three things in common: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Venezuela. High prevalence of low birth weight among adolescent girls and women, and the enabling policy and program environment.
For UNICEF, this plan represents a potential transformational move to address a broader range of issues. global nutrition crisis.promises progress Gender equality — Malnutrition is associated with reduced learning ability and income, breaking the intergenerational cycle. poverty.
Related: Q&A with UNICEF nutrition expert Harriet Torres
Education, screening, multiple micronutrient supplements, etc.
The plan provides a roadmap to scale up the provision of a package of essential nutrition services as part of antenatal care for pregnant women, including:
- Nutrition information, education, and counseling
- Monitoring healthy weight gain
- Multiple micronutrient supplements
- Prevention and malaria control with deworming as needed
- Nutritional screening and referral to treatment as needed
Multiple micronutrient supplements are particularly cost-effective to prevent maternal malnutrition and improve birth outcomes. Packed with 15 essential micronutrients, these supplements protect the health of mothers and babies when taken during pregnancy, reducing the risk of low birth weight by up to 19 percent, premature birth by 7 percent, and stillbirth by 8 percent. percent decrease. .
A full course of micronutrient tablets, enough to cover the entire pregnancy period, costs approximately $2.20. UNICEF is already supporting its procurement and distribution through supply sectors and national health and nutrition programs, and will continue to work with governments and local partners to make it more widely available.
Promote proven policies and build capacity across health systems to ensure maternal nutrition programs are sustainable
To support the implementation of the plan, UNICEF continues to work with governments and other partners to reach these essential targets across health systems through advocacy and policy action, capacity building, community engagement, resource mobilization and other means. We will help you integrate your service offerings.
Read the full report.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine said: ‘Packaging essential nutrition services in antenatal care can improve women’s health, giving the poorest and most vulnerable women the same access as women in wealthier regions and countries. We can address inequalities by providing standard antenatal care.” Russell said.
“With this plan, we want to ensure that pregnant women are aware of their right to proper nutrition and give their children the best chance to survive, grow and reach their full potential. .”
All girls and women have the right to proper nutrition. Prioritizing maternal nutrition is a strategic investment in the health and prosperity of future generations.
Help UNICEF and our partners continue to work towards a future where all women and children have access to the nutrition and care they need to thrive. Donate now.
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