by In recent years, significant progress has been made for girls and women, in fact since 2015, 50 million more girls are walking around the world in the halls of school, millions more women are entering the labour, the number of women in leadership roles has increased, baby. marriage rates around the world are falling, and maternal deaths are down.
Nutrition plays a vital role in this progress. Well-nourished girls perform better in school, well-nourished mothers have healthier pregnancies and are less likely to experience birth complications, and well-nourished women have higher earnings. This increase in income gives women greater control over decisions that affect their nutrition and the nutrition of their children. In addition, improved nutrition, especially for women and girls, is critical to achieving gender equality and the UN Global GoalsThrough and through.
However, despite this progress, worldwide more than 1 billion girls and adolescent women still suffer from undernourishment, malnutrition or anaemia. In addition, rates of acute malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women, and among adolescent girls, have increased by 25% since 2020 in 12 countries most affected by the global food and nutrition crisis. In South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, 68% of girls and young women are overweight, and 60% of girls and young women are affected by anaemia.
The situation is worsening with the global food crisis, rising food and fuel prices, conflicts, poverty, and extreme weather events caused by climate change. This will make it even more challenging for the most vulnerable girls and young women to access the nutritious diets, resources and care they need.
Currently, no country is on track to meet the 2030 global targets of halving anemia in girls and adolescent women and low birth weight in newborns by 30%. nutrition for all girls and young women.
Here are six ways we can improve the nutrition of women and girls.
1. Invest in the economic power of women.
When teenage girls and women are empowered to make critical decisions that affect their lives and have adequate access to economic resources, they can better get the diets and nutritional care they need .
Women’s participation in the labor force results in improved dietary diversity and nutrition in the family — a benefit not only to women, but to all those in the same family. This is because women have gained financial independence, increased knowledge of different diets, and empowerment in family decision-making, which has enabled them to make healthier and more varied food choices for themselves and their families.
2. Expand coverage of multiple micronutrient supplements for pregnant women.
A healthy pregnancy requires a balanced diet that provides enough energy, protein, vitamins and minerals to meet the growing needs of the mother and the developing baby. However, many pregnant women do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products to meet these requirements. This often results from a lack of access to these valuable sources of nutrition, whether due to location, rising food prices, the impacts of the climate crisis on local foods, or even unrest that limits food accessibility.
This can lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients, an issue that is particularly common in sub-Saharan Africa, south-central Asia, and south-east Asia. Maternal undernutrition in these regions is widespread and is known to be a major contributor to poor outcomes during childbirth.
multiple micronutrient supplements, containing 15 essential micronutrients,validated as a safe and effective method of improving nutritional intake during pregnancy. This medication has been proven to be more effective than iron supplements and folic acid when it comes to combating low birth weight, especially when it comes to pregnant women who are anemic or overweight. Another benefit of these supplements is that they can also help reduce maternal mortality and stillbirth.
Despite their benefits, only 43% of pregnant women take iron and folic acid supplements, and only 29 low- and middle-income countries provide multiple micronutrient supplements at scale.
3. Expand social protection programs to cover the nutritional security of women.
Social protection programs can help combat vulnerability, gender inequality, and poverty by providing resources such as cash, food, or vouchers to low-income families. Targeted social protection for women can improve food and nutrition security by increasing women’s autonomy and decision-making power. Women who take advantage of these programs tend to make better nutritional decisions for themselves and their children.
4. Increase investment for women in the agricultural sector.
Did you know that women and girls make up around 43% of the agricultural workforce in the Global South? However, they face barriers that male farmers do not, such as limited access to land, loans and machinery. Supporting the basic needs of women in agriculture can improve their well-being, reduce hunger, increase income and improve resilience.
5. Boost funding for research related to women’s and girls’ nutrition.
As with most development-related issues, research and data are critical to addressing nutrition concerns among girls and adolescent women. Regular data collection and analysis can inform communities and governments about the scale and impact of female malnutrition, contributing to an understanding of the severity of the issue, and subsequently driving effective action.
UNICEF emphasizes this point: “Without data and evidence, we cannot bring visibility to the true scale of the nutrition problem and generate demand for faster and more effective action.”
6. Invest in nutrition education for women and girls.
Education is key: nutritional education for adolescent girls increases their nutritional knowledge, and can lead them to make better dietary choices. In addition, nutrition education can lead to improved academic performance.
Schools play a key role in improving girls’ nutrition, by acting as conduits for nutrition education, as well as implementing nutrition programs that provide nutrition to students, or by promoting health initiatives such as de-worming and hand washing.
Access to nutrition is a fundamental right and should not be determined by where you live or your gender. Join Global Citizen to advocate for increased funding and call on world leaders to end systemic barriers to nutrition for women and girls. Together, we can ensure that women and girls have access to good nutrition, leading to a better future for all.
