Nutritional Challenges and Issues Relevant to Adolescents

Adolescence is a critical period for growth and development, including psychosocial development, that influences food choices and dietary habits. The burden of malnutrition is unacceptably high among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), while undernutrition has been a persistent issue for decades, overweight and obesity are gaining momentum because of rapidly changing food environments. Other risk factors for poor nutrition include poverty, gender, low education levels, early marriage and childbearing, lack of empowerment, and conflict and displacement. The availability, affordability, desirability, and convenience of foods, along with social cues, can each have varying impacts on adolescents’ food choices and dietary intake based on their circumstances. While there has been a recent push for more and better-quality adolescent nutrition-specific data, adolescent nutrition will require a strong commitment at the global and national levels to see sustained progress.