Sight and Life, a humanitarian nutrition think tank with the mission of eradicating malnutrition in women of reproductive age and in their children, and improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable populations, recently published a blog co-written by SPRING, the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This blog focuses on efforts to build a global conversation about anemia and to raise awareness of the burden and complexity of anemia.
Anemia is a global health burden, affecting nearly half a billion women of reproductive age. Although it can cause particularly dangerous health problems for pregnant women, such as birth complications, babies with low-birth weight, and cognitive and developmental delays in children, anemia is often poorly represented in national health planning.
The World Health Assembly laid out six global nutrition targets in 2012, one of which is halving anemia in women of reproductive age by 2025. Raising awareness of the issues causing anemia remains an important aspect of reaching this goal. Through a partnership with the UNSCN and WHO, SPRING created and now helps moderate the Accelerated Reduction Effort on Anemia Community of Practice (AREA CoP) to provide a place where members can discuss new research, ideas, and more related to reducing anemia.
SPRING disseminated the National Anemia Profiles through the AREA CoP to help countries facilitate multi-sectoral nutrition planning
To read more, check out the blog: Building a Global Conversation to Address Multi-Sectoral Approaches to Anemia Reduction