Burden of Childhood Malnutrition: A Roadmap of Global and European Policies Promoting Healthy Nutrition for Infants and Young Children
Marianthi Sotiraki,
Aggeliki Malliou,
Ntaniela Tachirai,
Nikoletta Kellari,
Maria G. Grammatikopoulou,
Theodoros N. Sergentanis,
Tonia Vassilakou
Affiliations
Marianthi Sotiraki
MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Aggeliki Malliou
MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Ntaniela Tachirai
MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Nikoletta Kellari
MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Maria G. Grammatikopoulou
Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University General Hospital of Larissa, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, 41221 Larissa, Greece
Theodoros N. Sergentanis
MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Tonia Vassilakou
MSc Programme in Public Health, Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens University Campus, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Childhood malnutrition is a global epidemic with significant public health ramifications. The alarming increase in childhood obesity rates, in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic, pose major challenges. The present review aims to critically discuss policies and action plans promoting healthy nutrition among infants and children, globally. Since the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and the joint consortium held by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that led to the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”, several policymakers and scientific societies have produced relevant reports. Today, the WHO and UNICEF remain the key players on the field, elaborating the guidelines shaped by international expert teams over time, but we still have a long way to go before assuring the health of our children.
