Nutrition
People with disabilities often encounter unique challenges in accessing adequate nutrition, exacerbated by barriers to healthcare, or as a result of living in extreme poverty or displacement contexts. Other risk factors include the discrimination faced by people with disabilities, which can result in children or adults with disabilities receiving less food than their peers within a household or institutional setting, such as a school environment. Poor access to education and health services can lead to less access to information on nutritional requirements to lead a healthy life.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) requires that governments provide an adequate standard of living for people with disabilities (Article 28), including access to adequate food, and the right to adequate nutrition is implicitly covered under Article 25 (right to health), as it is an essential component of overall health and well-being. In addition, Article 11 of the CRPD highlights that the needs of people with disabilities must be considered in food distribution programs. Ensuring adequate nutrition for people with disabilities is crucial for promoting their overall health, well-being, and full participation in society.
Resources in this section provide evidence relating to the nutritional needs and barriers experienced by people with disabilities, and examples of actions that can be taken to better include them in nutrition programs.
Read more about HelpAge International (2013) Nutrition interventions for older people in emergencies
HelpAge International (2013) Nutrition interventions for older people in emergencies
This document provides general guidance for the implementation of emergency nutrition activities ensuring the inclusion of older people and addressing their specific needs.
Holden, J, and Corby, N (2019) Nutrition programming for people with disabilities: evidence and learning
This document provides a rapid review of the evidence on approaches to ensuring people with disabilities are reached through nutrition programming, focusing on children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
OHCHR (2020) Policy guidelines for inclusive Sustainable Development Goals: Food and Nutrition
The policy guidance provides a description of the situation for persons with disabilities and barriers to accessing food, nutrition and engaging in food production.
WFP (2021) WFP Guidance Inclusive Nutrition Programming for Persons with Disabilities
The purpose of this document is to provide clear, concise, practical guidance for effectively designing and implementing programmes with nutrition components to ensure they are disability inclusive, with a focus on low and middle-income country contexts.
Engl M, Binns P, Trehan I, et al (2022) Children living with disabilities are neglected in severe malnutrition protocols: a guideline review
This study assesses inclusion of children living with disabilities in national and international SAM guidelines.
UNICEF (2021) Seen, Counted, Included: Using data to shed light on the well-being of children with disabilities
This report offers the largest compilation of statistics on children with disabilities to date.
Groce N, Kerac N, Farkas N, Schultink W and Berman Bieler R (2013) Inclusive nutrition for children and adults with disabilities
This article is a call to action to development practitioners to recognise the important associations between nutrition and disability, poverty and human rights.
