Associate Professor Lisanne du Plessis - “Break free, grow tall, reach far” – a systems approach for STUNTING reduction

IAS Visiting Fellow Associate Professor Lisanne du Plessis delivers a seminar on their research, fully titled "“Break free, grow tall, reach far” – a systems approach for STUNTING reduction" - The nutritional status of young children in South Africa is of great concern. Stunting in a quarter of children under five is particularly alarming, since it poses significant costs on health, cognitive development, schooling, and economic performance in future. Overweight and obesity in this age group is also on the increase. The multiple burdens of malnutrition reflects a food system that is failing. This stems from inequalities of the past with persistent issues of access and agency, but also highlights unscrupulous actions of big food companies. To address these challenges, requires working with government, communities, civil society organisations and researchers to understand the complexities and work collectively to identify innovations and effective interventions to reverse the numbers. The presentation will share a systems approach to understand the multiple burdens of malnutrition and to identify community-based approaches to improving early childhood development, nutrition, and health for the future generation South Africans. For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias