Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) released a set of  infographics on anaemia, breastfeeding, overweight, low birth weight, wasting and stunting. These are expected to “present ideas on how nutrition effects your health in a clear and concise way.”

Key Messages

Anaemia

Increases risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes

Reduces physical efficacy and work performance

Impairs the quality of life of millions of women

Reduction can help drive progress against other global nutrition targets:

• stunting
• wasting
• breastfeeding
• low birth weight
• childhood overweight

Breastfeeding

Provides babies the perfect nutrition- all they need for physical growth and brain development in the first 6 months of life

Provides protection against:

• respiratory infections
• diarrhoeal diseases and other life-threatening illnesses
• obesity
• non-communicable diseases like asthma & diabetes

Low Birth Weight

Is a major predictor of perinatal morbidity and mortality

Increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease in later life

Wasting

Children become wasted when they rapidly lose weight on account of diets that do not meet their nutritional needs

Increases the risk of

childhood deaths due to infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles

stunted growth, impaired cognitive development and non-communicable diseases in adulthood

Is linked with other global nutrition targets:

• stunting
• breastfeeding
• low birth weight
• childhood overweight
• anaemia in women

Stunting

Is a largely irreversible outcome of

• inadequate nutrition and
• repeated episodes of infection

during the first 1000 days (about 3 years) of a child’s life

Has several long-term effects including:

• decreased cognitive and physical development
• reduced productive capacity
• poor health

Increases the risk of becoming overweight or obese in later life

Childhood overweight

Is increasing in all regions of the world

Increases the risk of

• obesity
• premature death, disability and non-communicable diseases in adulthood

Children who are overweight or obese are at higher risk of developing serious  health problems

Useful Links

Link to the infographic on anaemia (PDF):

http://who.int/mediacentre/infographic/nutrition/nutrition-anaemia.pdf?ua=1

Link to the infographic on anaemia (JPEG):

http://who.int/mediacentre/infographic/nutrition/anaemia.JPG?ua=1

Link to the infographic on breastfeeding (PDF):

http://who.int/mediacentre/infographic/nutrition/breastfeeding.pdf?ua=1

Link to the infographic on breastfeeding (JPEG):

http://who.int/mediacentre/infographic/nutrition/breastfeeding600.JPG?ua=1

Link to the infographic on wasting (PDF):

Click to access infographic_wasting.pdf

Link to the infographic on stunting (PDF):

http://who.int/mediacentre/infographic/nutrition/infographic-stunting.pdf?ua=1

Link to the infographic on stunting (JPEG):

http://who.int/mediacentre/infographic/nutrition/infographic-stunting-page-001.jpg?ua=1

Link to the infographic on low birth weight (PDF):

http://who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/infographic_lowbirthweight.pdf?ua=1

Link to the infographic on overweight (PDF):

http://who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/infographic_overweight.pdf?ua=1

Link to Global Nutrition Targets 2025 page:

http://who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/

Link to Global Nutrition Targets 2025 posters:

http://who.int/nutrition/topics/nutrition_globaltargets2025/en/