Regional workshop on reducing young child malnutrition through optimizing diets and the food environment

Overview

Optimum young child diets are essential to ensure the health and development of children to their full potential. Poor diets affect growth and metabolism, with long-term programming effects on health and remain a persistent bottleneck to achieving the Global Nutrition Targets and 2030 Sustainable Development Goal targets for child stunting, wasting and overweight.

In WHO South-East Asia Region, countless children do not have access to nutritious and safe foods during the critical early growth period. Diets often lack diversity and adequacy. Socio-economic circumstances, poor feeding practices influenced by inadequate knowledge, cultural habits and the changing food environment all play a role.

Changing lifestyles and urbanization have also brought about alterations in dietary patterns and food habits. The proliferation, availability and aggressive marketing of low-cost unhealthy snacks, foods and beverages in emerging markets have contributed to an increased consumption of these products by young children. The growing child’s exposure to the external food environment and early food experiences influence long-term food preferences and eating behaviours. A rising intake of food unsuitable for infants and young children is reported, contributing to the double burden of malnutrition. Availability and sales of commercial food products for older infants and young children are also rising and need attention.

Suboptimal diets are responsible, directly or indirectly, for much of the morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years of age. Unhealthy diets can result in overweight and increase risk of NCDs including type 2 diabetes as well as micronutrient deficiencies and possibly stunting.