Stunting, obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a trio of health burdens that many countries are having to face simultaneously. It may seem odd that today the malnutrition problem encompasses not only undernutrition (stunted growth) but also overnutrition (overweight and obesity). On top of this we must now add the associated NCDs¡ªheart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer. Indeed, NCDs are rising sharply in most regions of the world and in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) it accounts for some 79% of the disease burden. Furthermore, low- and middle-income countries bear the brunt of it with 82% of death due to NCDs occurring there.
Addressing these challenges was the subject of the session on , which was held on January 28 at the side-meeting of the in Bangkok, Thailand. Since stunting, obesity and NCDs have interrelated causes¡ªunequal economic development, and changing lifestyles, diets and foods¡ªresolving malnutrition will need comprehensive and integrated strategies. These will need to combine lessons from stunting reduction efforts with insights on tackling obesity and NCDs through innovative approaches.
supported the attendance of participants from Cambodia and Lao PDR so they could share home-grown lessons from their high impact nutrition interventions. For example, Advance UHC supports the to enhance the delivery and quality of maternal child health and nutrition services at the community level. The project¡¯s service delivery grants have already been rolled out in 420 communes in selected areas. The grants operationalize a commune program for women and children that works to reduce service fragmentation and increase the sustainability of community health and nutrition activities.
Lao PDR delegates spoke about their to reduce malnutrition in the country. The approach supports poor and vulnerable rural families by implementing multi-sectoral interventions in health, social protection, rural livelihood, water, sanitation and education. It enhances simultaneous utilization of a package of high-impact nutrition interventions targeting households with young infants in poor areas where stunting is prevalent. The nutrition convergence approach works in support of the National Nutrition Strategy and Plan of Action 2020-2025. Impact evaluation of the approach¡¯s implementation in 879 villages in four northern provinces yielded impressive results¡ªit prevented stunting by 7.7%, increased child dietary diversity by 12.7%, and raised household dietary diversity by 6.6%.
PMAC is an annual international conference for global public health leaders to discuss high priority health issues and propose concrete solutions. The theme of PMAC 2025, held January 28¨C2 February, was Harnessing Technologies in an Age of AI to Build a Healthier World.