Adolescence is a critical time in the life cycle, presenting what is sometimes called a "second window of opportunity" in an individual’s growth and development. Additionally, adolescents increasingly exercise their agency and make important decisions related to their diet, eating, and self-care practices.
Addressing the nutritional needs of adolescents presents unique challenges, given the range of their household, school, work, marital, and parental circumstances. It requires the engagement of many sectors, including health, education, food systems, water and sanitation, and social protection. Developing effective, joint programming with these sectors involves applying a wide range of coordinated strategies.
The Adolescent Nutrition Resource Bank is designed to help governments, United Nations agencies, USAID and other donors, development partners, private sector entities, faith-based and youth-led organizations, civil society organizations, service providers, communities, and adolescents improve and expand adolescent nutrition programs and services.
The Resource Bank is updated regularly, as new resources, materials, and tools are developed and identified. If you have any relevant resources to share, please send them to info@advancingnutrition.org.
The resources included in the Adolescent Nutrition Resource Bank can be filtered and searched by multiple characteristics. Its contents are organized by the following program areas:
Adolescent Engagement
Adolescents are uniquely positioned to contribute to the design and delivery of effective programs and services. Policymakers, program managers, and service providers need to include adolescents as much as possible when designing, planning, implementing, delivering, and monitoring youth-responsive nutrition programs and services. Read more ›
Advocacy
Advocacy is an important tool to gain political commitment and stakeholder support, and secure resources for adolescent nutrition programming. The Adolescent Nutrition Resource Bank includes documents used to advocate for adolescent nutrition programs and services. Read more ›
Capacity Strengthening
Policymakers, program managers, and service providers—teachers, health care providers, extension agents, religious and community leaders—need the competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) to serve and support adolescent boys and girls in accordance with global recommendations and national policies and protocols. Read more ›
Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning
Formative research helps us understand the challenges and opportunities that adolescents face, as well as barriers and enablers to behavior change. Routine monitoring is needed to assess progress toward program goals and national targets. Read more ›
Service Delivery
Nutrition services typically do not prioritize adolescents and adolescent-friendly health services rarely include nutrition. Nutrition services need to be responsive to adolescents’ unique needs and priorities and address the barriers they face in accessing services. Read more ›
Social and Behavior Change
Improving adolescent nutrition depends heavily on behaviors such as diet and eating practices, exercise, lifestyle, and use of health services. Social and behavior change (SBC) strategies must consider how unique structural and environmental factors that affect adolescents’ access to services and adoption of priority behaviors. Read more ›
Systems Strengthening
Strong systems are important for implementing nutrition services and programs. Adolescents have unique nutritional needs, depending on and affected by their physical, social, and emotional development. Programs and services to support adolescents must be reflected in policies, protocols, strategies, and guidance. Read more ›