ASEAN: insights and considerations toward nutrition programs

In July 2011 the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Food Programme (WFP) held a symposium to discuss important nutrition issues in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. With a focus on micronutrient deficiencies and stunting stakeholders ranging from Ministry of Health participants to leaders of local nongovernmental organization elaborated on pressing nutrition issues in the region and debated strategies to tackle the prevalence of malnutrition. The region still faces high prevalence rates of micronutrient deficiencies and stunting despite Southeast Asia’s progress in reducing mortality rates and its economic growth over the past few decades. Failure to achieve recommended daily intakes of at least some micronutrients (most commonly vitamin A iron calcium riboflavin and iodine) is documented by survey data from almost every part of the region. Stunting and micronutrient deficiencies have detrimental impacts on childhood development and morbidity and according to experts the situation is unlikely to drastically improve in the long term due to food supply shortages. In this context health and nutrition interventions need to synchronize with national government policies to reduce malnutrition as well as obesity. The 1000 Day Window of Opportunity Initiative and the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) movement provide important strategic framework for these kinds of interventions. The role of the private sector is an integral part of the SUN movement to which some ASEAN countries have already signed up. This supplement highlights some of the pressing issues important for nutrition programming and shares highlights and experiences from ongoing programs addressing malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. In mirroring the diverse and rapidly changing ASEAN region the topics of the papers range widely from highlighting the problem of stunting to presenting models of more effective food fortification.