An undernourished mother will give birth to a low birth-weight baby, the low birth-weight baby will grow as an undernourished child, then to an undernourished teenager and finally to an undernourished pregnant woman. Negligence and lack of care for a girl child during childhood and adolescence, complicates this picture further, and the cycle persists through generations.
In order to avert irreversible cumulative growth and development deficits that compromise maternal health, child health and survival, it is critical to prevent undernutrition as early as possible, across the life cycle.