When it Matters Most
Improving nutrition and survival for the youngest children
About
Child hunger and malnutrition are violations of children’s rights. They are also significant contributors to mortality, causing an estimated 45 per cent of all deaths in children under 5 years of age. Despite reduction in global child mortality and malnutrition, just under 5 million children still die every year, mostly due to preventable causes such as undernutrition – an intolerably high number of deaths that are largely preventable. This report provides an overview of the findings from four research studies by UNICEF, Korea University and Harvard University on the concentration of under-five mortality, stunting and wasting in children under 2 years of age. It examines programmatic implications and explores how these findings can be used to maximize intervention coverage under resource scarcity. It also offers recommendations for programmatic decision-making in ways that avert the greatest number of child deaths and reach the children most at risk.
