Discussion Reply- Response 1-2 paragraphs with 1-2 references

When responding to your peers, provide your own evaluation of the policies discussed in their posts. Respectfully agree or disagree with your peers’ evaluations. What suggestions for improving the policies can you add? What suggestions provided by your peers do you see as the most valuable?

Discussion: 
This discussion focuses on gender equality as many global health problems are tied to policies surrounding this issue. Focusing on equality, children are our most precious commodity and the most vulnerable to global health problems greatly affected by nutrition and education (Holtz, 2019). Most health-related problems such as disease, disability, and mental health are exponentially affected positively or negatively by the level of nutrition and education available (Holtz, 2019). Education positively influences nutrition decreasing risks for disease. The problem is education as an intervening strategy needing improvement and not readily available to everyone equally.
            Some developing countries today continue to struggle with education, especially educating women, despite this being a key strategy improving the global health of children. USAID’s (n.d.) India has made great improvement in advocating for education as it’s literacy rate rose to 64.46% While men were 82.14%.  Let Girls Learn program has spent billions of dollars in the African nation-states to decrease gender inequality improving access to education for girls. To achieve the millennium development goals (MDG), WHO listed the first strategy in the Six-Point Agenda focusing on equality in the promotion of healthy development (Holtz, 2019). The health problems affecting the greatest number of children are mainly concentrated in developing countries such as India and Africa. A look at the burden of gender inequality reveals it is highest in countries that also carry the highest infant morbidity and mortality. According to the WHO data, the number of babies in Africa with a likelihood of dying by age five is 76 per 1000. Although the numbers vary greatly, staggering levels are seen in Yemen at 130, Somalia at 120.5, India is 119.90 per 1000 babies while the global average is 39 (WHO, Under-five mortality rate, n.d.). Although some developing countries have improved, it is not enough as millions of young women continue to be denied and education in impoverished countries (USAID, n.d.).
Many global health disparities can be reduced by providing adequate nutrition; however, education is a key factor and access to education is a problem. Developing nations addressing the problem need to break the gender-inequality barriers built into their culture in order to improve their country’s health (USAID, n.d.). Many current strategies for improvement are already in place but need structural updating or improvements (Holtz). Addressing framework issues and the needed cultural change may be more successful if it is additionally incentivized leading to continued growth in these areas.

Please respond to discussion above.