Contributors: Diana Munjuri and Charity Chao Shete
Eunice watches her healthy one-year-old son play with other children at the waiting bay of a rural Zambian health clinic. His vitality stands in stark contrast to his seven-year-old sister Monica’s early years, marked by frequent illness (fevers, diarrhea, and infections), delayed development, and *Eunice’s own struggles with insufficient breast milk.
*Eunice’s experience mirrors that of countless mothers across sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal and child malnutrition remains a huge public health challenge. Poor nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood creates a cascade of consequences: weakened immunity, impaired cognitive development, and increased risks during childbirth that can irreversibly affect children’s survival, growth, learning, and future earning potential.
The scale of this crisis is staggering. According to 2024 UNICEF-WHO estimates, 150.2 million children under five globally are stunted—meaning their physical growth is hindered or slowed down, 42.8 million are too thin for their height (wasting), and 35.5 million are overweight. With sub-Saharan Africa bearing the heaviest burden of this crisis, these outcomes stem from interconnected factors including poverty, poor food quality, disease, inadequate healthcare systems, and cultural barriers.
Malnutrition’s effects extend far beyond individual health. When children suffer from poor nutrition, entire communities lose potential in reduced school performance, decreased workforce productivity, and perpetuated cycles of poverty. Countries face enormous economic costs through increased healthcare spending and lost human capital, while families struggle with immediate survival and long-term development. The ripple effects are particularly devastating for women and girls, who face unique nutritional challenges during adolescence, pregnancy, and breastfeeding, yet often have the least access to quality food and healthcare services.
APHRC is tackling these nutrition gaps through targeted research and innovation. The Center’s Countdown to 2030 initiative tracks progress on life-saving interventions for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) across 26 African countries supported by the Global Financing Facility. By analyzing intervention coverage across socioeconomic, gender, education, and geographic dimensions, the initiative generates evidence to drive advocacy and accountability for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health.
Through the Food Environment Policy Action (FEP-Action) Project, APHRC is championing healthier food environments through the introduction of front-of-pack food labels that will help Kenyan consumers make better choices. Front-of-pack labels are simplified labels on the front of food packaging, designed to help consumers quickly assess healthiness through symbols, colours, or ratings. In this study, our researchers tested three types of label designs to see which one was most effective at helping people identify nutrients of concern and make healthier purchase decisions. The study results showed that warning labels were the most effective in helping consumers identify foods high in sugars, salts and fats. Participants who saw the warning labels were more likely to recognise unhealthy packaged food products and less likely to choose them, compared to those who used the Red and Green labels. In line with our research, it is important to note that education plays a crucial role – empowering parents with knowledge about proper nutrition, training healthcare workers in best practices, and building community capacity to address local nutrition challenges. The Center is now championing the implementation of mandatory Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels (FOPLs) on all pre-packed foods, and so far, there have been progressive discussions within the policy space on how to actualise this across relevant sectors.
Despite the enormity of the challenge, progress is possible. Countries that have invested consistently in nutrition programs have seen dramatic improvements in child health outcomes. Communities that have addressed underlying causes of malnutrition – from improving water and sanitation to supporting women’s empowerment – have broken cycles of poor health that had persisted for generations.
This World Nutrition Day, the call to action is universal. Whether through supporting global nutrition initiatives, advocating for policy change, or simply making more informed food choices in our own communities, each of us has a role to play in ensuring that nutritious food becomes a reality for all.
The goal is not just to prevent malnutrition, but to create a world where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential – where stories like Monica’s early struggles become increasingly rare, and healthy development like her brother’s becomes the global norm.
As we work toward this vision, we must remember that behind every statistic is a family hoping for a better future. With sustained commitment and coordinated action, we can make that future a reality for children everywhere.