Evidence‑based Interventions: What works, where, and why in real‑world settings

In this episode of Milestones in Pediatric Nutrition, Professor Andrew Prentice interviews Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, 2025 Virchow Prize recipient, about evidence-based nutrition interventions and translating science into policy. Professor Bhutta describes his journey from clinical pediatrician in Pakistan to global health leader, shaped by encounters with severe malnutrition that prompted a focus on prevention strategies and systems-level solutions. He explains the hierarchy of evidence, highlighting the shift from expert opinion to systematic reviews and meta-analyses that now inform WHO guidelines. The discussion focuses on the landmark 2013 Lancet paper "Evidence-Based Interventions for Improvement of Maternal and Child Nutrition," which synthesized evidence across the life course using rigorous systematic reviews and modeling tools to quantify intervention effects on survival and stunting. This work, cited over 4,000 times, demonstrated that nutrition-specific interventions could reduce stunting by 30-40%, with greater impact requiring complementary nutrition-sensitive approaches. Professor Bhutta emphasizes the importance of contextualizing evidence from low- and middle-income countries and the responsibility of scientists to engage in policy advocacy beyond publication. The episode illustrates how robust evidence synthesis can inform global investment and policy action in nutrition.