In 2012, the World Health Assembly set six key global nutrition targets: low birth weight, exclusive breastfeeding, overweight & wasting & underdevelopment in children, and anemia in women of reproductive age.

These targets aim to improve maternal and child health worldwide. However, from 2012 to 2021, progress has been slow and uneven across different countries.

Researchers used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 to evaluate how well countries have met these targets and what progress can be expected by 2050.

The State of Global Nutrition
While some countries improved, others fell short of meeting the nutrition goals. By 2021, only a few nations had met targets for exclusive breastfeeding and child stunting, and none reached the goals for low birthweight or anemia.

Over the past decade, child overweight rates increased in most countries, and anemia in women showed some progress in a few places. These trends were strongly linked to a country's development status, measured by a composite index of social and economic factors.

Future Projections
Looking ahead to 2030, it is expected that 94 countries will reach at least one target, but 89 countries will fail to meet any of them.

By 2050, some targets, such as those for child stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, may be met by a handful of additional nations, but the challenge remains large. The anemia target, in particular, is unlikely to be achieved in the foreseeable future.

The Road Ahead
While there have been successes, such as decreases in child stunting and wasting, the overall picture is one of slow and uneven progress.

Achieving these targets will require continued investment in nutrition policies and healthcare, especially for addressing childhood illness and improving the underlying causes of malnutrition.

This may not be strictly neuroscience - but it's darn important ...

About the scientific paper:

First author: Global Nutrition Target Collaborators
Published in: The Lancet, December 2024
Link to paper: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01821-X/fulltext