Academy for Educational Development

Washington, D.C., March 9, 2004 — PROFILES, a highly effective computer-based process for estimating the far-reaching consequences of malnutrition, assessing the short- and long-range benefits of combating nutritional deficiencies, and communicating these findings to decision-makers, has launched www.aedprofiles.org

The new website allows visitors to calculate the number of maternal deaths caused by iron deficiency and under five deaths due to underweight using recent epidemiological findings. The Underweight Calculator also estimates the number of lives that could be saved if a nutrition intervention is put into place.

The PROFILES process, which has been used in over 25 countries around the world since 1993, addresses a variety of nutrition problems including stunting, underweight, sub-optimal breastfeeding, vitamin A deficiency, iodine deficiency and iron deficiency anemia.

Through interactive simulations, PROFILES demonstrates the contribution that improved nutrition can make to various sectors such as health, education, agriculture and economy in a given country and / or region.

In Bangladesh, according to a recent evaluation, PROFILES helped quantify the benefits from salt iodization and child nutrition programs: more than 1 million child deaths averted, nearly $200 million saved due to increased breastfeeding, and a $3 billion increase in productivity among agricultural workers - in just seven years.

"By investing in nutrition, countries can significantly improve their educational outcomes, increase economic productivity and save lives," said Margaret B. Parlato, Senior Vice President, AED Global Health, Population, and Nutrition Group. "Improving nutrition is like a jump start for economic growth."

PROFILES spreadsheet software is available in three main languages: English, Spanish and French. For the purpose of policy dialogue, the messages have been translated into many more languages, including Chinese and Swahili.

PROFILES' epidemiological models are regularly updated and expanded to integrate new knowledge and address new challenges such as chronic diseases.

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