The Global Nutrition Report 2014: actions and accountability to accelerate the world's progress on nutrition.

In 2013, the Nutrition for Growth Summit called for a Global Nutrition Report (GNR) to strengthen accountability in nutrition so that progress in reducing malnutrition could be accelerated. This article summarizes the results of the first GNR. By focusing on undernutrition and overweight, the GNR puts malnutrition in a new light.

Maternal anaemia in West and Central Africa: time for urgent action.

Objective: To review the prevalence, severity and determinants of anaemia among women in West and Central Africa (WCA) and raise awareness among policy makers and programme planners in the region.

Design: Systematic descriptive review of data in the public domain of the ORC Macro MEASURE Demographic and Health Surveys, national nutrition surveys, oral and technical communications at regional meetings, studies published in scientific journals, and WHO and UNICEF databases.

Setting: West and Central Africa region.

National vitamin A supplementation coverage survey among 6-59 months old children in Guinea (West Africa).

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major contributor to child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Sustained control of VAD is essential to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for reduction of child mortality in Guinea. Since, twice yearly vitamin A supplementation (VAS), either coupled with National Immunization Days or stand-alone has been adopted as a key strategy to combat VAD in 6-59 months old children.

Determinants of high vitamin A supplementation coverage among pre-school children in Mali: the National Nutrition Weeks experience.

Objectives: To assess vitamin A supplementation (VAS) coverage of children aged 6-59 months and the factors that favour or limit this coverage during the National Nutrition Weeks in Mali.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Interviews about demographic factors and children's adherence to the vitamin A capsule distribution programme were conducted.

A randomised trial in Mali of the effectiveness of weekly iron supplements given by teachers on the haemoglobin concentrations of schoolchildren.

Objective: To assess the effect on the haemoglobin concentrations of schoolchildren of weekly iron tablets administered by teachers.

Design: Sixty schools were randomly assigned to two groups: in 30 schools children were given weekly for 10 weeks a tablet providing 65 mg of iron and 0.25 mg of folic acid; in the other 30 schools no iron tablets were given.