Reproductive health involves having a responsible, satisfying and safe sexual life, along with the freedom to make decisions about reproduction. This includes accessing methods of fertility regulation and appropriate health care services, so as to provide parents with the best chance of having a healthy baby.

Low birthweight is the result of many factors. In countries where mothers face difficult socioeconomic conditions, poor nutrition and health during pregnancy are closely associated with low birthweight. Occurring from either restricted foetal growth or from pre-term birth, low birthweight infants have a greater risk of poor health or death, need a longer time in hospital after birth and are more likely to develop disabilities (UNICEF and WHO, 2004).

Mothers breastfeeding their babies is one of the best ways to ensure child health and survival. Breast milk gives infants the nutrients they need for healthy development, including the antibodies that help protect them from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide. Breastfeeding is also linked with later good health. Adults who were breastfed as babies often have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol, as well as lower rates of overweight, obesity and type-2 diabetes.

National development is largely dependent on healthy and well-nourished people. Food security means being able at all times to access sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Yet this basic need is not met for many people in the Asia/Pacific region. Chronic hunger has devastating effects on health and well-being, both now and among future generations.

Poor nutrition, leading to either underweight or overweight, is closely associated with ill health. More than one-third of all deaths worldwide are due to ten main risk factors, and seven of these are related to nutrition (WHO, 2002).

Safe water and adequate sanitation are vital to human health and well-being. Their want has serious repercussions for individual health, livelihood and quality of life. Diarrhoeal diseases alone kill almost 2 million people annually, mostly children under the age of 5. Better access to water and sanitation leads to great social and economic benefits, whether through higher educational participation, improved living standards, lower health care costs or a more productive labour force.

Tobacco smoking is a common risk factor for a large number of diseases that cause illness and death, including lung and other cancers, COPD and cardiovascular disease. The global tobacco epidemic is directly responsible for around 12% of adult deaths worldwide, or some 5 million deaths each year, many of which occur in low- and middle-income countries (WHO, 2011h and 2012d).

Although most people enjoy drinking alcohol responsibly, the health burden related to hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption, both in terms of morbidity and mortality, is considerable in many parts of the world. High alcohol intake increases the risk for chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and injury, and impacts foetal and child development. Drunkenness and alcohol dependence also leads to harmful social consequences, such as drink-driving and violence (WHO, 2011i).