Dinh dưỡng hợp lý đang trở thành yêu cầu thiết yếu trong toàn bộ chiến lược dự phòng và nâng cao sức khỏe, chất lượng cuộc sống. Việt Nam cần có một chương trình hành động cụ thể trong kiểm soát các vấn đề dinh dưỡng mới nảy sinh, tiếp tục giải quyết một cách bền vững tình trạng suy dinh dưỡng, thực hiện có hiệu quả Chiến lược quốc gia về dinh dưỡng 2001 – 2010.

Morbidity and mortality patterns is one important demographic indices, which reflex the interaction of socio-economic, socio-cultural, health care services and social development factors. It is recognized that the morbidity and mortality patterns may change rapidly along with changing in feeding patterns, life style, urbanization and globalization. There have been many evidences that Vietnam has been approaching the transition in nutrition. Thanks to the progress in the country reform and economy growth, food supply in the macro scale has been improved. While the childhood malnutrition is still of high level (stunting around 30%, country wide) and micronutrient deficiency is still a problem of concern, recent studies showed that overweight, obesity and a number of nutrition related chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases) are on the rise with the fast pace. Since 1996 up to now, non-communicable diseases become predominant distribution of mortality and morbidity patterns in Vietnam. This could be resulted from dietary and life style changes. Controlling nutritional deficiencies and new emerging nutrition problems and that to reduce the double burden of malnutrition in Vietnam in the coming years requires comprehensive appropriate measures in the framework of the National Nutrition Strategy 2001 – 2010 and reinforcement of research on nutrition transition, including the research on diet, nutrition, lifestyle changes in relation with morbidity and mortality patterns.