Who is the Woman in Women’s Nutrition? A Narrative Review of Evidence and Actions to Support Women’s Nutrition throughout Life

Abstract

Nutrition interventions that target mothers alone inadequately address women's needs across their lives: during adolescence, preconception, and in later years of life. They also fail to capture nulliparous women. The extent to which nutrition interventions effectively reach women throughout the life course is not well documented. In this comprehensive narrative review, we summarized the impact and delivery platforms of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions targeting adolescent girls, women of reproductive age (nonpregnant, nonlactating), pregnant and lactating women, women with young children <5 y, and older women, with a focus on nutrition interventions delivered in low- and middle-income countries. We found that although there were many effective interventions that targeted women's nutrition, they largely targeted women who were pregnant and lactating or with young children. There were major gaps in the targeting of interventions to older women. For the delivery platforms, community-based settings, compared with facility-based settings, more equitably reached women across the life course, including adolescents, women of reproductive age, and older women. Nutrition-sensitive approaches were more often delivered in community-based settings; however, the evidence of their impact on women's nutritional outcomes was less clear. We also found major research and programming gaps relative to targeting overweight, obesity, and noncommunicable disease. We conclude that focused efforts on women during pregnancy and in the first couple of years postpartum fail to address the interrelation and compounding nature of nutritional disadvantages that are perpetuated across many women's lives. In order for policies and interventions to more effectively address inequities faced by women, and not only women as mothers, it is essential that they reflect on how, when, and where to engage with women across the life course.

Dietary Intake across Reproductive Life Stages of Women in India: A Cross-Sectional Survey from 4 Districts of India

“…Considering the poor intake of most of the nutrients and limited diet quality among lower sociodemographic groups, it is of increasing importance to develop nutrition-sensitive and specific interventions for women and girls. While using the delivery platforms in community- and facility-based settings, for women across life-course, the nutrition interventions had the potential to mitigate the sociodemographic influences on the dietary intake and nutritional status of women [ 41 ].…”

A research vision for food systems in the 2020s: Defying the status quo

“…Cutting-edge research could highlight the interrelated and compounded nature of disadvantages and inequities that perpetuate across food systems. For example, food and nutrition policies and interventions should effectively address inequities faced by women and not only women as mothers, but also women across the life course and as entrepreneurs ( Fox et al, 2019 ).…”

EAT–Lancetdiet score requires minimum intake values to predict higher micronutrient adequacy of diets in rural women of reproductive age from five low- and middle-income countries

“…In particular, women of reproductive age (WRA) remain more susceptible than men to malnutrition and food insecurity, that is, higher prevalence of non-consumption of dietary components (0 g/d), across every continent (18) , but most notably in resource-poor settings (19,20) . Hence, women's nutrition and health in LMIC have received increased global political attention and resource allocation during the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals Era (21)(22)(23) . At present, the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide global and national stimuli to monitor and address global malnutrition outcomes, with specific targets for women.…”