University academics contribute to new WHO guidelines on malnutrition

A research team led by the University of Bedfordshire has undertaken a series of projects to inform the new World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on preventing and managing malnutrition in infants and children aged five and under.

Commissioned by the WHO, the research was undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the University of Bedfordshire as well as the University of Dundee in the UK, and the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar in India.

The research was conducted as a series of systematic reviews that focused on a number of specific aspects related to nutrition and feeding for infants less than six months of age at risk of poor growth and development. These included the effectiveness of postnatal maternal or caregiver intentions, the effectiveness of interventions to manage difficulties with breastfeeding and views of parents and health care professionals about the equity, acceptability and feasibility of different types of supplementary milks and feeding techniques for babies who have trouble with breastfeeding.

The WHO used the evidence from these reviews to inform its decision making criteria. The new WHO guidelines were launched in November 2023 and include 21 recommendations and 12 good practice statements informed by the available evidence for the prevention and management of acute malnutrition in infants and children aged five and under.

Speaking about this new research, Dr Shuby Puthussery, project lead and Director of the Maternal & Child Health Research Centre (MCHRC) at Bedfordshire’s Institute for Health Research (IHR), said: “Sadly, more than 45 million infants and children under five years of age experience acute malnutrition each year globally, and this is exacerbated by ongoing crises including the Covid-19 pandemic climate change, and conflict.

“The WHO’s commitment to update the guidance on the prevention and management of malnutrition is timely and we are delighted to have been able to support the guideline development process. We hope the guidelines will assist policymakers, programme managers, and healthcare providers deliver programmes and services for the prevention and management of babies and young children at risk of poor growth and development.”