Abstract
To summarise available evidence on the nutritional status of school-age children and adolescents (5-19 years) from seven global regions and on interventions implemented to improve malnutrition in this population. Global. Findings were compiled from seven scoping literature reviews, including data from low- and middle-income countries within the following UNICEF-defined global regions: East Asia and Pacific; Europe and Central Asia; South Asia; West and Central Africa; Eastern and Southern Africa; Middle East and North Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. A double burden of malnutrition was evident across the world regions reviewed: stunting, thinness, anaemia and other micronutrient deficiencies persisted, alongside rising overweight and obesity prevalence. Transitions towards diets increasingly high in energy-dense, processed and micronutrient-poor foods were observed. Evidence from intervention studies was limited, but suggested that providing multiple micronutrient-fortified foods or beverages at school may effectively target micronutrient deficiencies and facilitate weight gain in undernourished populations. Interventions to prevent or manage overweight and obesity were even more limited. There was minimal evidence of using novel technological approaches to engage school-age children and adolescents, or of involving them in designing interventions. The limited data available on nutrition of school-age children and adolescents are neither standardised nor comparable. Consensus on methods for assessing nutritional status and its determinants for this age group is urgently needed to set targets and monitor progress. Additionally, strategies are required to ensure that nutritious, safe and sustainable diets are available, affordable and appealing.
Highlights
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 calls for an end to all forms of malnutrition by 2030 [1]
Design: Findings were compiled from seven scoping literature reviews, including data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) within the following UNICEF-defined global regions: East Asia and Pacific (EAP); Europe and Central Asia (ECA); South Asia (SA); West and Central Africa (WCA); Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA); Middle East and North Africa (MENA); and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Data were compiled from seven scoping literature reviews conducted by the authors focusing on LMICs within the following seven UNICEF-defined world regions: EAP; ECA; SA; WCA; Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA); MENA; and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Summary
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 calls for an end to all forms of malnutrition by 2030 [1]. To this end, global investment in nutrition has predominantly focused on children under five years of age and on pregnant and lactating women. As children transition through adolescence and puberty, they experience rapid physical, behavioural and emotional growth They gain independence, and the social determinants of their health behaviours broaden [9]. During this time, adolescents may be highly susceptible to the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles (including diet and activity behaviours), which can persist into adulthood [9,10]. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), this is exacerbated by rapid urbanisation, which exposes adolescents to increasingly obesogenic environments characterised by energy-dense and ultra-processed diets and low levels of physical activity, often alongside food insecurity [11,12,13]
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