Proper nutrition feeds into safer pregnancies and healthy children
Every day families welcome new life into the world. New parents and caregivers want to ensure each child gets the best start but the most basic of needs, proper nutrition, is not equitably accessible. This has devastating effects.
Nearly half of all deaths in children under the age of 5 in the East Asia and Pacific region can be attributed to undernutrition, according to UNICEF.
Proper nutrition is paramount to survival and good health after birth, but an adequate diet is also one of the key factors to a healthy pregnancy.
Nutrition is a critical issue now as the Covid-19 pandemic affects the food supply and food security for many people around the globe. Ending hunger and improving nutrition are two pillars supporting greater maternal and child health at the community, country and regional levels.
STÉPHANE VIDRY AND BOON YEE YEONG
