Better Nutrition Education Needed Worldwide

March 10, 2006 -- Poor nutrition education programs are a larger cause of child malnutrition than a lack of food, according to a new World Bank report. The report recommends that these programs shift their emphasis toward changing the behaviors of mothers, encouraging them to breastfeed their children and seek quick treatment for diseases. Malnutrition in the first two years of life can lead to irreparable damage, including both mentally and physically stunted growth, and make children more prone to disease.

More than half of all child deaths worldwide are due in part to poor nutrition. About 30 percent of all children are undernourished and 60 percent who die of common diseases such as malaria and diarrhea could have lived with proper nutrition. Because breast milk contains antimicrobials that can protect children from infection, it is important that children are breastfed in their first days of life.

The National Research Council workshop summary titled Exploring a Vision: Integrating Knowledge for Food and Health discusses the intersection between health and nutrition. One of its recommendations is to help alleviate hunger through education programs.

• Exploring a Vision: Integrating Knowledge for Food and Health (2004)

• World Bank Report
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services