Child health indicators of life and development and the challenge of nutrition

This paper reports on the Child Health Indicators of Life and Development (CHILD) European project, which was reported in 2002. It outlines the scientific principles and operational approach adopted by that project, with a particular focus on the problem of reporting on nutrition. The paper then discusses the conceptual approaches and related challenges of measuring nutrition at the population level in children from infancy to adolescence and the linked determinant factors of lifestyle and behaviour. The paper concludes with a summary of the challenge that has needs to be addressed, echoing an unmet need reported in the CHILD project report.