Abbott strengthens communities around the world through the power of science-based, global nutrition.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 underserved, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Strong partnerships are key for building health equity to effectively address health disparities, expand access to resources and remove barriers that prevent people from living healthy lives. And, tackling the global issue of childhood malnutrition, which affects more than 1 in 5 children around the world, is no simple task.
But, when helping solve some of the world’s biggest challenges, a simple idea and unique partnerships has the potential to make a big impact. To help curb childhood malnutrition a medical inventor, a global healthcare company, a greeting card company and a non-profit children’s organization joined forces to do exactly that.
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.
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.
NUTRITION IS THE FOUNDATION FOR LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE. THAT’S WHY WE WORK HARD TO ADVANCE AND SHARE THE LATEST SCIENCE AND CREATE BETTER WAYS TO NOURISH YOUR BODY AT EVERY STAGE OF LIFE.
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