REPORT ABOUT THE CONFERENCE:THE INTERNATIONAL WОRLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONCONSULTATION ON NUTRITION AND PREGNANCY(27-28 June 2016, RIGA, LATVIA)

Abstract

27-28 June 2016, Riga, Latvia hosted the International WHO consultation on nutrition and
pregnancy, with participation of experts in the field of maternal and child health and the WHO
Collaborating Centers from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Italy, the UK, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia and Moldova. The key problems of women's health and
nutrition, according to speakers from different countries are the following: the growth of overweight
and obesity among women, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, low rates of exclusive
breastfeeding in the first 6 months after birth, micronutrient deficiency, lack of awareness of health
care professionals healthy nutrition of reproductive age women and the risks of obesity before and
during pregnancy, the need for national guidelines on maternal, infant and child nutrition.
The key event of the meeting was an official presentation and discussion of the report “Good
Maternal Nutrition: the Best Start in Life” developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The
report offers a systematic review of the most recent data on nutrition, obesity and noncommunicable
diseases among women before and during pregnancy. The report contains recommendations for
stakeholders to address important issues of improving women's nutrition during pregnancy and
breastfeeding.
At the meeting to Latvia presented its experience on the development of national guidelines on
nutrition of women before and during pregnancy.
Recommendations and proposals for further action at the national level and across regions:
1. Distribution of the WHO report: Present and discuss the report “Good Maternal Nutrition: the
Best Start in Life” developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
2. Creation of work groups in the Ministries of health to develop and periodically update national
guidelines on nutrition of women in preconception period, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, based
on scientific evidence and harmonized with WHO recommendations.
3. Raising public and health professionals’ awareness about the importance of healthy diet for
women before and during pregnancy.
4. An analysis of national data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among reproductive
age women, or in the absence of such data, implementation of the research for monitoring these
indicators.