Healthy Early Development in Pakistan

09/21/2004

Healthy Early Development in Pakistan

"The most difficult thing in the world is to say thinkingly what everybody says without thinking." - Alain in Histoire de Mes Pensées

Healthy Early Development in Pakistan

The inaugural issue of Nurture, focusing on early childhood development in Pakistan, highlights the concern that nations in South Asia are not investing enough in the early years. Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, from the Department of Pediatrics at Aga Kahn University linked Pakistan's poor progress in human development indicators to the lack of investment in health, education and social development, expecially the life-long cost of inadequate attention to the nutritional status of women and unborn children:

"The poor nutritional status of the population is specifically apparent among the most vulnerable, namely the women and children of Pakistan. Low birth weight (LBW) infants account for almost 30% of all births, with maternal malnutrition as a dominant risk factor. LBW may account for several long-term effects on health and productivity that may impact on national economic performance and outcomes...Despite this information, there are very few intervention programs geared towards improving maternal malnutrion in a sustainable fashion."

To learn more about Nurture and early childhood development in Pakistan, go to www.ecdpak.com.

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.