Adolescent Nutrition

Second only to infancy, adolescence (ages 10-19 years) is the most critical growth period in the life course, offering a “second window of opportunity” to impact health and nutrition, growth, and development. The period of adolescence offers an opportunity to address nutritional problems generated during the first decade of life and to develop healthy and long-lasting dietary and lifestyle habits. Given that 16 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years enter motherhood every year, their nutritional status is important not only for their own health, but also for the health of their children. The resources found in this collection can support better integration of adolescent nutrition into programs and greater understanding of the impacts of malnutrition on adolescents.