ABSTRACT
Malnutrition in at least one of its forms is among the top risk factors in disease burdens among low, middle and high-income countries. The widespread concurrence of overweight and nutritional deficiencies, referred to as the “triple burden” of malnutrition is a consequence of dietary deficiencies and excesses. The life course concept recognises the opportunity to prevent and control diseases at key stages of life from preconception through pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence, through to adulthood. The global nutrition policy environment has shifted from nutrition-specific to nutrition-sensitive interventions to encompass a wider range of determinants of nutrition outcomes. The SDGs attempt to capture the complexity of influencing factors such as food systems on diets and nutrition outcomes, at the same time recognising that improving nutrition is imperative to reducing poverty, promoting sustainable social and economic development.
