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TACKLING A GLOBAL ISSUE

Abbott strengthens communities around the world through the power of science-based, global nutrition.

MALNUTRITION

Tackling a Global Issue

Addressing Malnutrition: The Power of the Community Health Worker

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One adult is holding a baby while another adult is placing a MUAC z-score tape around the baby's arm to screen for malnutrition.

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Addressing Malnutrition: The Power of the Community Health Worker

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Key Takeaways

• Community health workers (CHW) are highly trusted community members who have basic training in public health. They visit households to provide basic healthcare services in many countries and help to bridge the gap between healthcare facilities and the communities they serve.
• Expanding primary-level care through CHWs can alleviate pressure on overburdened healthcare systems, providing essential services like malnutrition screening.
• Abbott is committed to strengthening capacity among CHWs to address malnutrition at the primary healthcare and household level.

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Addressing Malnutrition to Support Healthy Outcomes for Patients

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Addressing Malnutrition to Support Healthy Outcomes for Patients

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Malnutrition affects 20-50% of hospitalized adult patients, yet only approximately 8% are diagnosed. Posing a significant burden to hospitals and patients, malnutrition often leads to increased readmissions, longer lengths of stay, higher health care costs, and increased mortality and morbidity.

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The Communitys Role in Identifying the Risk of Malnutrition

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Child smiles at camera as three adults observe for signs of malnutrition.

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The Community's Role in Identifying the Risk of Malnutrition

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Key Takeaways

• Malnutrition is a complex issue that requires collaboration to make a meaningful impact.
• A recent study shows success in training non-healthcare facilitators to screen for malnutrition in communities where resources are limited.
• Abbott is committed to supporting communities with the tools they need to fight malnutrition.

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The Causes of Undernutrition in Adults: Beyond Inadequate Intake

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Older couple sits at a table, sipping soup.

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The Causes of Undernutrition in Adults: Beyond Inadequate Intake

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Malnutrition exists in different forms, and each type can uniquely affect bodily function at all ages. The causes of nutrition imbalances can vary and are often a complex makeup of individual, community and policy factors. Symptoms depend on the degree of nutrient deficiency and may not always be immediately apparent.

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Understanding Childhood Malnutrition: Easy Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Child

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A smiling child reaches for a carton of eggs while their father stands behind them wearing an apron.

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Understanding Childhood Malnutrition: Easy Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Child

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Childhood malnutrition — both undernutrition and overnutrition — can affect any child, compromising physical growth, cognitive development and immune health. Addressing the problem requires our best efforts.

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Malnutrition in Children: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

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A child eats an apple outside.

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Malnutrition in Children 101: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

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Malnutrition is a prominent global health issue. It affects 1 in 3 people around the world, and the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread conflict, climate change and increases in the cost of living have worsened the issue.

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Simple Device Helps Identify Childhood Nutritional Challenges

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A healthcare provider measures a child's arm with MUAC z-score tape.

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The MUAC Z-Score Tape Helps Address Childhood Malnutrition Challenges Globally

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Strong partnerships are key to building health equity by effectively addressing health disparities, expanding access to resources and removing barriers that prevent people from living healthy lives. Tackling the global issue of childhood malnutrition requires our best efforts. Severe malnutrition affects 45 million children worldwide each year — the equivalent of 1 out of every 3 children under age 5.

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Types of Malnutrition Explained

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An older woman sits at a table in front of a bowl of food.

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Types of Malnutrition Explained

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Despite evidence noting the harmful effects of malnutrition, malnutrition is a common problem — affecting 1 in 3 older adults — and often goes unrecognized and undertreated.

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Malnutrition’s Impact on Underserved Communities

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Malnutrition’s Impact on Under-Resourced Communities

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Factors in your everyday life from where you live to where you work can have an impact on your overall health and well-being. It can determine your access to healthcare, education, economic opportunities, and social support.

People living in under-resourced, low-income communities experience a disproportionate impact on their health due to a lack of resources and services. This is particularly true when it comes to malnutrition, which occurs when people don't receive the right nutrients in the right amounts. Malnutrition occurs in both children and adults, in individuals who are underweight and overweight, and it can have a devastating impact on health.

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A Renewed Focus on Addressing Malnutrition in Older Adults

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A Renewed Focus in Today’s ‘New Normal’ on Addressing Malnutrition in Older Adults

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It’s no secret that we all age, but with the birth rate on the decline and longevity increasing around the world, the global population is aging at a rapid rate. By 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 65 years or older, and the number of people over 80 is projected to triple in the next 30 years.1

But while many adults around the world are living longer, they are not necessarily living healthier. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an often-hidden health condition experienced by many older adults has come back into focus more recently: malnutrition.

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Pediatric Malnutrition: Global Impact and Approaches

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Pediatric Malnutrition: Global Impact and Approaches

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Kids need nutritious foods for healthy growth and development, especially during the early, formative years of their lives. When kids don’t have access to healthy foods, it can lead to serious health issues like malnutrition, which can have lifelong consequences from poor health outcomes to economic instability. Good nutrition plays an important role in preventing and treating malnutrition in kids.

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What Is Malnutrition

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What Is Malnutrition?

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What is malnutrition? A common misconception is that it simply means a person isn't getting enough calories. But malnutrition can be nutrient or energy deficiency, excess, or imbalance.

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Nutrition Intervention Associated with Better Health Outcomes

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Nutrition Intervention Equals Better Outcomes

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By Suela Sulo, PhD, MS, a health outcomes researcher who leads the Health Economics, Outcomes Research, and Policy Work for Abbott’s global nutrition research and development.

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Eliminating Pediatric Malnutrition A Call for Universal Screening

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Eliminating Pediatric Malnutrition: A Call for Universal Screening

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By: Karyn Wulf, MD, MPH, Pediatric Medical Director at Abbott

Appropriate growth during childhood lays the foundation for a lifetime of health. While important, growth alone does not always tell the full story of a child’s health. A child may not be getting all the nutrients they need, and occasional growth screenings may not catch nutrient deficiencies until a child is malnourished. The consequences of nutrient deficiencies can include not only poor growth, but also impaired physical or cognitive development. Identifying children at risk is crucial so that dietary or nutritional interventions can be started long before growth or development issues occur.

Currently, there is no universal malnutrition screening tool used in pediatric care, and childhood malnutrition remains far too common around the world. Nearly 150 million children under 5 are stunted and 50 million are wasted, demonstrating an urgent need for a pediatric screening process to identify those who are at nutritional risk.

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Improving Childhood Nutrition with a Multidisciplinary Approach

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Improving Childhood Nutrition with a Multidisciplinary Approach

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By: Karyn Wulf MD, MPH, Pediatric Medical Director at Abbott.

When it comes to assessing childhood nutrition, it can be more complex than simply making sure your kid eats his or her vegetables. Key outcomes of good childhood nutrition aren’t just linear growth or weight gain, but also includes organ and brain development. Nutritional limitation in any of those areas may cause long-term problems with optimal growth and development. That’s why primary care physicians should consider a team approach when treating kids who are falling behind on growth. 

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The Fight Against Malnutrition: Bringing the Value of Nutrition to Healthcare

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The Fight Against Malnutrition: Bringing the Value of Nutrition to Healthcare

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By: Suela Sulo, PhD, MS, a health outcomes researcher who leads the Health Economics, Outcomes Research, and Policy Work for Abbott’s global nutrition research and development. 

The healthcare system is comprised of several key stakeholders including healthcare providers, payers and patients. And while they may value aspects of care differently, there are two considerations that consistently rise to the top for these groups across the board: health outcomes and cost. Providers, patients and payers are all able to find common ground when an intervention or treatment improves patient health at a reasonable cost, while in turn reducing overall cost of care at both the patient and healthcare system level.

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Ultra Rice Is Fighting Malnutrition In India

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Ultra Rice: Feeding Families for the Future

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Nutrition supports good health at every stage of life, but it's especially important for kids. Childhood is a crucial time for development of the brain and body, both of which rely on essential vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin A and essential B vitamins.

A balanced diet is the best way to get all the nutrients you need, but that's not always possible for everyone. Leading international nonprofit, PATH, created Ultra Rice® as part of a solution to that problem.

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