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44 SUSTAINABILITY SERIES SUSTAINABLE starts for all Globally, an estimated 149 million children under the age of five are developmentally stunted as a result of chronic malnutrition in their first 1000 days of life.1 I’m sure most of us have a basic understanding of the importance of nutrition, especially in pregnancy, but this doesn’t make these statistics less confronting. Retail Pharmacy spoke with a team taking action to help mothers and soon- to-be mothers gain access to important information relating to nutrition that supports a healthy pregnancy. “Deprivation of essential vitamins and minerals from conception to age two years (the first 1000 days of life) results in significant health consequences across the lifespan and can exacerbate the cycle of poverty,” Bayer ANZ Marketing Manager Nutritionals Suzanne Kwan said. “Preventing multiple micronutrient deficiencies early in pregnancy can help mitigate poor pregnancy outcomes and long-term health and economic consequences for individuals and societies.” A mother’s health is crucial during pregnancy, as issues experienced can lead to years of health concerns passed on. “Those who experience and survive undernutrition in the first 1000 days of life will themselves form families that are also undernourished – thus repeating the cycle over again,” Ms Kwan said. “For example, children deprived of essential micronutrients may struggle to stay at school, to get a job – if at all – and will likely remain in poverty as an adult. Malnutrition perpetuates poverty over generations.” Malnutrition is linked to many other health concerns, such as increased susceptibility to fat accumulation, lower fat oxidation, lower resting and postprandial energy expenditure, insulin resistance in adulthood, hypertension and dyslipidaemia.2 Malnutrition in children is linked to poor mental development and school achievement, as well as behavioural abnormalities.2 Introducing Every Beginning Every Beginning is an initiative created by Bayer’s pregnancy multivitamin and mineral brand Elevit and is supported in a partnership with US-based charity Vitamin Angels, which provides vitamins to mothers and children at risk of malnutrition. The initiative “aims to build awareness of and support the important role of nutrition during the first 1000 days of a child’s life,” Ms Kwan said. “It helps parents and parents-to- be connect and support each other through an online community, and gain access to vital nutrients.” Elevit and Vitamin Angels are together providing supplements as well as nutrition education. “Elevit is supporting the delivery of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS – commonly known as prenatal vitamins and minerals) throughout 180 days of pregnancy for women in around 50 countries, as well as nutrition education and advocacy to support the health of women and babies around the world,” Ms Kwan said. Vitamin Angels, a not-for-profit organisation, is “currently engaged in all facets of work to accelerate the use of MMS for pregnant women”. “They have partnerships with national and state government health systems, and NGO health systems in 50 countries,” Ms Kwan said. “Their network includes more than 2000 program partners that regularly reach over 60 million pregnant women and children under five annually with evidence-based nutrition interventions The Vitamin Angels website states: “We seek out the most vulnerable, and too often forgotten: pregnant women, infants and children who live beyond the margins. They can be difficult to reach due to geography or circumstance. Our focus on serving them, wherever they are – in the farthest corners of the world and in overlooked communities here in the US – sets us apart.” The goals The main goal for Every Beginning is to “enable access to MMS for up to four million women and children every year in underserved communities around the world”. “Elevit and Vitamin Angels’ approach is to support awareness raising and nutrition education to empower RETAIL PHARMACY • MAY 2021 By Emily Devon.