Women and Children in South Asia face several public health challenges, with malnutrition and anaemia remaining the two formidable challenges that are depleting productivity and increasing morbidities and disease burdens. These two challenges have multiple causal nutritional and non-nutritional pathways, co-exist within individuals and require both population-based solutions as well as targeting treatment strategies at individual levels to tackle malnutrition and anaemia in all its forms and due to all causes through the life course.
South Asian countries have committed to reduce malnutrition and anaemia. Policies do exist, but service delivery systems are not ready, well-resourced nor backed by comprehensive data for programme equity and effectiveness, which is holding the region behind[i]. For example, anaemia amongst women aged 15 to 49 years remains high and stagnant (48%, 2012 and 2019)[ii] and has a direct impact on women’s health – and on risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Low birth weight prevalence has also remained persistently high in the region (2012: 26.7%, 2020: 24.9%)[iii]. Low birth weight is the single most critical driver of intergenerational cycles of childhood undernutrition and increased risk of non-communicable disease later in life.
References:
[i] United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Policies in Place, Uneven Progress: Combating anaemia in girls and women in South Asia, UNICEF Nourishing South Asia Reports, Issue 6, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia, Kathmandu, 2025. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/31266/file/NSR%206%20-%202%20July%202025.pdf.pdf
[ii] FAO IFAD UNICEF WFP and WHO. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 – Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. Rome: FAO (2024). doi: 10.4060/cd1254en.
[iii] FAO IFAD UNICEF WFP and WHO. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 – Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. Rome: FAO (2024). doi: 10.4060/cd1254en.