WUNRN
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
seeks
sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty.
Direct Link to Full 56-Page Report:
http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ghi10.pdf
“The health of women, specifically mothers, is
crucial to reducing child malnutrition."
October 11, 2010
Released in advance of World Food Day (October 16) for the fifth year, the
report is published by the International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide.
The Index scores countries based on three equally weighted indicators: the
proportion of people who are undernourished, the proportion of children under
five who are underweight, and the child mortality rate. The biggest contributor
to the global score is child undernutrition, which accounts for almost half of
the score.
“To improve their scores, many countries must accelerate progress in
reducing child malnutrition. Considerable research shows that the window of
opportunity for improving nutrition spans from conception to age two. After age
two, the negative effects of undernutrition are largely irreversible,”
explained Marie Ruel, director of IFPRI’s Poverty, Health and Nutrition
division and co-author of the report.
The Index is calculated for 122 developing and transition countries for
which data on the three components of hunger are available. Twenty-nine
countries have levels of hunger that are “extremely alarming” or “alarming.”
Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa and
While the highest regional GHI scores are for South Asia and Sub-Saharan
Africa,
In Sub-Saharan Africa, low government effectiveness, conflict, political
instability, and high rates of HIV and AIDS are among the major factors that
lead to high child mortality and a high proportion of people who cannot meet
their calorie requirements. In some countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, for
example
The burden of child undernutrition could be cut by 25-36 percent by
providing universal preventive health services and nutrition interventions for
children under two and their mothers during pregnancy and lactation.
“The health of women, specifically mothers, is crucial to reducing child
malnutrition. Mothers who were poorly nourished as girls tend to give birth to
underweight babies, perpetuating the cycle of undernutrition,” noted
Welthungerhilfe chairperson Bärbel Dieckmann. “Nutrition interventions should
be targeted towards girls and women throughout the life cycle and especially as
adolescents before they become pregnant.”
The report recommends that to reduce global hunger, countries must:
·
target interventions where
they will do the most good – among pregnant and breastfeeding women and
children in their first two years of life;
·
address the underlying causes
of undernutrition, including poverty, gender inequality, and conflict;
·
engage, empower, and support
those working at the local level to improve nutrition;
·
and make nutrition,
especially for young children, a political priority.
“Ensuring appropriate and adequate nutrition during the first 1,000 days is
absolutely critical,” said Concern Worldwide CEO Tom Arnold. “This Global
Hunger Index report sets out clear recommendations to inform and encourage the
international community to take decisive action on this issue.”