Enhancing adolescent and youth health through nutrition fluency in Sub-Saharan Africa: ARISE-NUTRINT initiative

Abstract

Adolescents and young people, aged 10–24, experience critical developmental periods for physical, cognitive, behavioral, and social growth, which influence their lifelong health trajectory.1 The Sub-Saharan African (SSA) population’s one-third comprises people aged 10–24 years, necessitating a public health approach to promote healthy nutrition. Adolescents and youth, who are particularly susceptible to undernutrition and diet-related obesity compared to other age groups, face increased risks for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), a major public health challenge that accounts for 70% of global deaths annually.2,3 In addition, between 1980 and 2015, the prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents increased in SSA, affecting 7.6% of boys and 15.4% of girls.4 One driver of this increase in obesity is the increase in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) – a trend that was most pronounced in countries in SSA.5 Despite the availability of cost-effective and evidence-based practices to address NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs),6 implementing these interventions remains a significant challenge, particularly in promoting healthy behaviors among adolescents and youth.7 In SSA, limited studies have focused on identifying the barriers and facilitators to implementing interventions and policies that promote healthy behaviors among adolescents and youth.2,7 Many of these efforts are concentrated on school-going adolescents and exclude those who are not in educational institutions and more vulnerable to unhealthy lifestyles. To be effective, new policies and programs need to consider the diverse profile of adolescents and youth, and involve multifaceted and multilevel efforts across education, health, food, social protection, and digital technology. In addition, various factors affect adolescent and youth diets and nutrition, physical activity, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. However, most intervention studies have focused on micronutrient supplementation. Finally, research is scarce on the long-term costs, effects, and impact of evidence-based interventions in this region.