South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Volume 18, Issue 2, September 2005

Two historic processes of change occur simultaneously with or precede the 'nutrition transition'. One is the demographic transition - the shift from a pattern of high fertility and mortality to one of low fertility and mortality (typical of modern industrialised countries).

The objectives of the investigation were: (a) to assess the nature and the magnitude of the relationship between indicators of income and inequality and the prevalence of undernutrition in children less than 5 years of age in the world, using countries as units of analysis; (b) to discuss the relationship between poverty and undernutrition within a mid-income country with high levels of inequality; and (c) to document inequity in the distribution of food and nutrition programmes and to discuss the importance of adequate targeting and the potential role of income transfer programmes in preventing undernutrition, using data from Mexico.

It is estimated that worldwide there are at least 300 million indigenous people living in more than 70 countries on 5 continents. In Peninsular Malaysia, the indigenous people, known as Orang Asli (OA) in the Malay language or 'original people', form the minority constituting less than 1% of the total population of the country. Despite continuous efforts by the government to integrate them into the mainstream economy, the OA still live on the fringes of Malaysian society, cut off from most social services; they are poorly educated, and earn a meagre living. Described as the 'poorest of the poor', the OA continue to have poor nutritional and health status (particularly the children) compared with other ethnic groups in Malaysia

Two facts of public health in the low-income societies are becoming overwhelmingly apparent. First, the incidence and prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been accelerating rapidly throughout the world (not just in affluent, industrialised nations), with deaths from heart disease and cancer surpassing those from infections and undernutrition.

HIV / AIDS is having a devastating impact on the livelihoods and food security of many millions in the world, especially in Africa. The position is clearly summarised in the Participants' Statement from the WHO Consultation Meeting on Nutrition and in Africa held in Durban, April 2005.

With the death of Clive West on 27 August 2004 the world lost a remarkable scientist and a pioneer in the field of micronutrient malnutrition. Part of his legacy is a small army of former PhD and MSc students across the world, all well equipped to continue his work. As one of Clive's scouts I present a personal view of the inspiring lessons learned from him.

The World Health Report 2002 introduced the term 'risk transition' to describe the changes in consumption of tobacco, alcohol, nutrition and other lifestyles that promote the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

On 19 May 2005 the Northern Branch of the Nutrition Society hosted a mini-symposium at the Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark. The theme of the morning was Nutrition in Adverse Conditions.

We have a busy time ahead with a number of congresses coming up - September is sure to be an academic month! The SAAFoST Conference Trend Spotting Fashion Driven Food Science is to be held from 5 to 7 September 2005 in Stellenbosch. The programme covers diverse and sometimes controversial topics, and a one-day interactive 'Kids' workshop is to be held. For further information visit: www.saafostconference.co.za