The following sections highlight key areas of opportunity to integrate evidence-based nutrition interventions into
GHI, FTF, and other bilateral programs, particularly in the
critical 1,000-day “window of opportunity” (from pregnancy
to two years old).
opportunities to integrate and mainstream nutrition in
facility-based and community health services. Barriers
include a lack of national nutrition standards, protocols, and
training curricula; insufficient staff with up-to-date training
and inadequate access to appropriate education materials.
UN Photo/Martine Perret
Improving Maternal Nutrition Status
“We have to do a better job of building nutrition outcomes
into programs across all relevant sectors. So water,
sanitation, hygiene programs, health programs and
agriculture programs... should all be cross-linked.”
– Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International
Development, June 29, 2010, at the Statesmen’s Forum,
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC
Improving Nutrition Outcomes through the
Health Sector
Integrating targeted nutrition interventions into maternal
and child health programs is essential. Good maternal
health and nutrition are important contributors to the
survival of both mother and child and promote women’s
overall health, productivity, and well-being. Maternal and
child undernutrition contributes to more child deaths—3.5
million—every year than any other cause. More than a third
of child deaths—and 11 percent of the total global burden
of disease—are due to maternal and child undernutrition.24
Thus, nutrition is essential to reaching MDG 4: Reduce
Child Mortality and MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health.
The health sector—through prenatal/postnatal care and
community-based integrated management of childhood
illnesses—is currently the main platform used to deliver
nutrition services. A number of factors can lead to missed
6 Briefing Paper, February 2012
Malnutrition in a mother hampers her baby’s nutrition
and health. Nutrition in children under five years old depends critically on the nutritional status of their mothers during pregnancy and lactation. Pregnant women need an additional 500-700 calories a day25 as well as extra protein and
vitamins. Women who are underweight before pregnancy
and who gain little weight during pregnancy are particularly
likely to give birth to babies with low birth weight, who are
more likely to die as newborns than babies born at a healthy
weight. Improving maternal nutritional status throughout
the reproductive life cycle shows the most promise for reducing child deaths and future disease burden. Interventions
include nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion, and
micronutrient interventions including iron folate, vitamin
A, and zinc suppleme