Strengthening Mongolia’s Policy Framework for Healthy Diets

World Bank

Strengthening Mongolia’s Policy Framework for Healthy Diets

Autores

World Bank

Editor

Washington, DC: World Bank

Descripción

According to the Human Capital Index (HCI), children born in Mongolia today will be 61 percent as productive when they grow up as they could be if they enjoyed complete education and full health. Nutrition underpins every component of the HCI. Undernutrition (inadequate consumption of essential nutrients and calories) can lead to stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies. Undernutrition during the first 1,000 days of life (from conception through to a child’s second birthday) reduces child survival rates and has severe and lasting impacts on a child’s physical and cognitive development, educational attainment, and overall health outcomes across his/her lifetime. Overnutrition (excess or imbalanced consumption) increases an individual’s risk of developing overweight, obesity, and multiple noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. Children who experience severe or chronic undernutrition at an early age are at increased risk of developing NCDs later in life. Once they develop, NCDs have profound and long-term impacts on individuals, families, and societies. They lower an individual’s quality of life, workforce participation, and life expectancy and substantially increase healthcare costs. Unhealthy diets are a major driver of malnutrition in all its forms and are widespread in Mongolia. Effective government policies are essential to create environments that support and promote healthy diets. This policy note recommends a package of priority interventions to strengthen Mongolia’s policy framework for healthy diets. These recommendations are based on a review of Mongolia’s current policy framework for healthy diets and its progress toward global and national nutrition targets