ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Sept. 30, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today the
creation of the Abbott Center for Malnutrition Solutions, an
innovation hub focused on reducing malnutrition around the world.
The center, a collaboration between Abbott and external nutrition
experts and partners, will focus on the identification, treatment
and prevention of malnutrition for the most vulnerable populations
in the world, including mothers, infants and young children; aging
adults; and people without access to good nutrition.
The work of the center will contribute to Abbott's 2030
Sustainability Plan ambition to transform care for
malnutrition, chronic disease and infectious diseases, with a goal
to improve the lives of more than 3 billion people by decade's
end.
''Malnutrition affects 1 in 3 people around the world, and it's
not only a result of extreme poverty," said Daniel Salvadori, executive vice president of
Abbott's nutrition business. "It affects people of all ages, all
geographies and all socioeconomic classes. Progress to address
malnutrition is slow and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic. Abbott has long been focused on improving nutrition
through our innovations. The creation of the Abbott Center for
Malnutrition Solutions will enable us to apply our science and
expertise in collaboration with others to improve systems and
ensure good nutrition is accessible to more people around the
world."
A worldwide problem
Malnutrition affects people in all
communities around the world and takes many forms.
- Stunting: Kids who fall below a healthy height for their age.
Among children under 5 around the world, it's estimated 149
million are stunted.i
- Underweight: Adults who are below a healthy body mass index
(BMI). Around the world, 462 million are
underweight.ii
- Wasting: Kids or adults who are below a healthy weight for
their height. Among kids under 5, 45 million are below a
healthy weight.iii
- Overweight or obese: Kids or adults who are above a healthy
weight for their height. Around the world, 1.9 billion adults
are overweight or obese.iv Among children 5 and
younger, 39 million are overweight.v
The problem is extremely complex. Countries are simultaneously
fighting the burdens of hunger, stunting, wasting and obesity.
Conflict, environmental crises and economic instability play a
role. Vulnerable groups continue to be disproportionately affected
by these disruptions and lack of resources, impacting access to
good nutrition and ultimately, improved outcomes.
"Reducing malnutrition around the world will require genuine
partnerships with grassroots organizations and local leaders to
gain a true understanding of what's needed on the ground,
innovation to bring forward new ideas, and multi-sectoral partners
working together to deliver collective impact and sustainable
solutions," said Mary Pittman, DrPH,
president and CEO, Public Health Institute.
Taking a different approach
The Abbott Center for
Malnutrition Solutions will follow four key principles in its
efforts to reduce malnutrition:
- Convening the experts
Abbott will cultivate
conversations between the foremost experts in the fight against
malnutrition. These conversations will look at malnutrition from
different aspects, creating engaging discussions to understand the
challenges, raise awareness of the problem and call on partners to
work together to reduce malnutrition.
- Co-creating solutions
Given the many forms of
malnutrition that are contributing to the crisis, solutions cannot
be one-size-fits-all. Abbott is building an advisory board made up
of experts from each region of the world to help understand the
needs and nuances of malnutrition at a local level and connect with
like-minded partners. Abbott will work with the private sector,
governments, civil society organizations, multilaterals and
entrepreneurs to co-design solutions. The United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals — specifically No. 2: Zero
Hunger, No. 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, and No. 17: Partnerships
for the Goals — serve as a framework to provide goals and
priorities for Abbott and its partners to reduce malnutrition and
improve health.
- Leveraging science and innovation
Science and
innovation are core to addressing malnutrition. Abbott has a long
history of success in understanding the science behind nutrition
and innovating to make nutrition accessible to people around the
world. The company will leverage its learnings from previous work
such as Nourimanba in Haiti, Ultra
Rice in India, the MUAC z-score
tape, and the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative (MQii) as
examples to guide its ongoing work.
- Designing for sustainability
Making a meaningful
impact on malnutrition requires solutions that are sustainable and
accessible. The ability to reach the people who need it and scale
and replicate beyond a single project or donation will be key
considerations when designing solutions and choosing partners.
For more information about the Abbott Center for Malnutrition
Solutions please see https://www.abbott.com/malnutrition.html.
About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare leader
that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our
portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of
healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics,
medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our
109,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedIn
at www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter
@AbbottNews.
i UNICEF; Child malnutrition.
https://data.unicef.org/resources/jme-report-2021/
ii WHO; Malnutrition.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition
iii UNICEF; Child malnutrition.
https://data.unicef.org/resources/jme-report-2021/
iv WHO; Malnutrition.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition
v UNICEF; Child malnutrition.
https://data.unicef.org/resources/jme-report-2021/
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abbott-commits-to-reducing-malnutrition-globally-with-launch-of-abbott-center-for-malnutrition-solutions-301388939.html
SOURCE Abbott