ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the rationale for prioritising program inputs in the first 1000 days of life, evolvement and selection of evidence-based essential nutrition interventions (ENIs) through the life cycle, converging ENIs with nutrition-sensitive measures for achieving the maternal, infant and young child nutrition targets of the World Health Assembly (WHA), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and India’s POSHAN Abhiyaan or the National Nutrition Mission. The most rapid period of physical and cognitive development in a person’s life occurs in the womb. It is well established that placental and foetal development is most vulnerable to prenatal nutritional status during the peri-implantation period and the period of rapid placental development. During pregnancy, adequate weight increase should be given special consideration, particularly in disadvantaged populations. Investment in education and health of women are inextricably linked to improvement in the nutrition status of women and children.
