World Health Day Puts Global Spotlight on Maternal and Newborn Health
The year-long campaign kicks off on April 7, focusing on support for healthy pregnancies, births, and better postnatal care.
“Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures” is the theme for World Health Day, Monday, April 7. This signature effort for the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2025 will include working with governments, donors, and the health community to invest in proven, high-impact interventions to improve maternal and newborn health and survival.
“The focus of this campaign comes at a crucial moment, aiming to help countries regain lost progress while showcasing new research and evidence that will enhance the health of mothers and infants globally,” says WHO’s Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Ageing, Dr. Anshu Banerjee. “As rollbacks to humanitarian assistance jeopardize a critical lifeline for millions, it will also be an opportunity to step up support and collaboration for global health — and deliver hope to those in urgent need of lifesaving care.”
Since its creation in 1948, World Health Day, created as part of the first World Health Assembly, has directed its resources to raising global awareness and driving responses to everything from polio eradication and antimicrobial resistance to road safety and depression.
World Health Day 2025 Campaign Goals
The facts behind this push for maternal and infant care are stark. According to WHO, nearly 300,000 women die annually due to pregnancy and childbirth, more than 2 million babies don’t make it past their first month of life, while another 2 million are stillborn. The organization calculates this adds up to one preventable death every seven seconds. And current trends are not encouraging, with four out of five countries off track to meet the United Nations’ global targets for improving maternal survival within the next five years. One out of three countries will fall short of targets aimed at reducing deaths of newborns.
To take on the challenge, World Health Day has set the following goals which may often incorporate cardiometabolic health:
- To raise awareness about gaps in maternal and newborn survival and the need to prioritize women’s long-term well-being, which could encompass their cardiometabolic health.
- To advocate for effective investments that improve the health of mothers and infants, which may involve focusing on preventing and managing hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease during and after pregnancy.
- To encourage collective action to support parents as well as healthcare professionals who provide critical care, which may potentially incorporate cardiometabolic health screening and management as part of postnatal care.
- To provide useful health information relating to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period, which could include highlighting the importance of monitoring cardiometabolic risk factors during this time.
“A more holistic approach to maternal health has been proven to give women the best chance of a healthy pregnancy and birth, and of enjoying lasting quality of life after delivery,” says the author of a new analysis on maternal death, WHO scientist Dr. Jenny Cresswell. “Health systems need to be able to support them across different life stages.”
Cardiometabolic Health Begins in Childhood
For the latest information and resources on preventing and treating childhood cardiovascular disease, obesity, insulin resistance, and other conditions, visit our Pediatrics Digital Education Hub. You’ll find news, expert highlights, resources and updates on the latest clinical trials.
You can also take your place among frontline global healthcare practitioners at the 20th Annual Cardiometabolic Health Congress, Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 23–25, in Boston. Join thought-leaders from around the world to share the latest research, news, and treatments with a full slate of case presentations, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities.
