Nutrition in the Western Pacific

Good nutrition plays a fundamental role in human health, survival and development. Optimal nutrition during the first 1000 days – between women’s pregnancy to child’s 2nd birthday – offers a unique window of opportunity to a healthier future. 

Essential nutrition actions to achieve optimum health and nutritional well-being are identified throughout the course of life.  The Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition aim to end hunger and eradicate all forms of malnutrition worldwide. The two faces of malnutrition include undernutrition, such as wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies, as well as those associated with dietary imbalance and excess, such as overweight, obesity, or diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).  

There is a potential of double-duty actions to effectively and simultaneously address the global challenge of double burden of malnutrition. Double-duty actions through integrated interventions, programmes and policies have the potential to improve nutrition outcomes across the spectrum of malnutrition.