It has long been recognized that the nutritional and health status of a woman before and/or during early pregnancy affects physiologic adjustment to pregnancy and the condition of the periconceptional environment for the embryo, and ultimately the fetal environment.
The 2013 Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Nutrition provided new evidence on the importance of women’s nutrition at the time of conception and during pregnancy, not only to ensure optimal fetal growth and development but also for the health of the mother.
On March 16-17, 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), SPRING, and the USAID-funded Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III Project (FANTA), co-hosted a technical meeting of more than 40 global leaders in the field of adolescent and women’s nutrition as a first step toward developing such recommendations.
Good eating practices among adolescent girls and young women are a critical component of good nutrition in the First 1,000 Days. Recognizing the importance of focusing on this key population, SPRING is partnering with nutrition leaders to push the agenda forward on improved diets and eating practices among this group.
