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Nutrition and Growth

 
Timing Births
Safe Motherhood
Child Development and Early Learning
Breastfeeding
Nutrition and Growth
Immunization
Diarrhoea
Coughs, Colds and More Illnesses
Hygiene
Malaria
HIV/AIDS
Injury Prevention
Disasters and Emergencies
Summary

Why it is important to share and act on information about NUTRITION AND GROWTH

More than half of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition, which weakens the body's resistance to illness. Poor diet, frequent illness, and inadequate or inattentive care of young children can lead to malnutrition.

If a woman is malnourished during pregnancy, or if her child is malnourished during the first two years of life, the child's physical and mental growth and development may be slowed. This
cannot be made up when the child is older — it will affect the child for the rest of his or her life.

Children have the right to a caring, protective environment and to nutritious food and basic health care to protect them from illness and promote growth and development.

Key Messages:

What every family and community has a right to know about NUTRITION AND GROWTH

1. A young child should grow well and gain weight rapidly. From birth to age two, children should be weighed every month. If a child has not gained weight for about two months, something is wrong.

2. Breastmilk alone is the only food and drink an infant needs until the age of six months. After six months, the child needs a variety of other foods in addition to breastmilk.

3. From the age of six months to two years, children need to be fed five times a day, in addition to sustained breastfeeding.

4. Children need vitamin A to resist illness and prevent visual impairments. Vitamin A can be found in many fruits and vegetables, oils, eggs, dairy products, fortified foods, breastmilk, or vitamin A supplements.

5. Children need iron-rich foods to protect their physical and mental abilities. The best sources of iron are liver, lean meats, fish, eggs and iron-fortified foods or iron supplements.

6. Iodized salt is essential to prevent learning disabilities and delayed development in children.

7. During an illness, children need to continue to eat regularly. After an illness, children need at least one extra meal every day for at least a week.


Supporting information for key messages:
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