Adolescence is the period of development that begins at puberty and ends in early adulthood. Most commonly, adolescence is divided into three developmental periods: early adolescence (10-14 years of age), late adolescence (15-19 years of age), and young adulthood (20-24 years of age). Adolescence is marked by physical and sexual maturation, social and economic independence, development of identity, acquisition of skills needed to carry out adult relationships and roles, and the capacity for abstract reasoning. Adolescence is characterized by a rapid pace of growth that is second only to that of infancy. Nutrition and the adolescent transition are closely intertwined, since eating patterns and behaviors are influenced by many factors, including peer influences, parental modeling, food availability, food preferences, cost, convenience, personal and cultural beliefs, mass media, and body image. Here, we describe the physiology, metabolism, and nutritional requirements for adolescents and pregnant adolescents, as well as nutrition-related behavior and current trends in adolescent nutrition. We conclude with thoughts on the implications for nutrition interventions and priority areas that would require further investigation.

This is the first systematic review to examine the global prevalence of catch-up growth (CUG) in small for gestational age (SGA) infants who were born at full term (FT). Size at birth and subsequent growth is an important indicator of neonatal and adult health. Globally, 16% of infants are SGA at birth, ranging from 7% in industrialized countries to 41.5% in South Asia. SGA infants are at increased risk for negative developmental and adult health outcomes. Some achieve CUG but others do not. CUG has immediate and late health implications especially in low-and middle-income countries. This systematic review sought to determine the global prevalence of CUG among FT-SGA infants. We performed a literature search of MEDLINE, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, as well as grey literature databases, and identified 3137 studies. The final analysis included 11 studies. The median prevalence of CUG was 87.4% across all definitions of SGA and CUG. However, multiple definitions were used to classify SGA and CUG. Nine unique reference populations were used to classify SGA, and 6 to approximate CUG. Due to this heterogeneity, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Program implementation for this vulnerable group of infants is dependent on proper classification. Given the wide range of definitions and reference standards used in the past, it is not possible to determine the global need for programs to address CUG for FT-SGA infants or to rationally plan any such programs. We highlight the need and propose standard definitions and references for SGA and CUG. Adv Nutr 2019;10:104-111.

Background: Understanding the burden and determinants of suicide during adolescence is key to achieving global health goals. We examined the prevalence and determinants of self-reported suicidal ideation and attempts among younger (13-15 years) and older adolescents (16-17 years). Methods: Pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence interval, were calculated for suicide ideation and attempts for 118 surveys from 90 countries that administered the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) to adolescents (13-17 years of age) from 2003 to 2017. Indicators (including individual and social factors) associated with suicidal ideation and attempts were determined from multivariable linear regressions on key outcomes. Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation representing 397,299 adolescents (51.3% female) was significantly higher among girls than boys whereas attempts did not differ by age or sex. Being bullied, or having no close friends was associated with suicidal ideation among girls 13-15 years and 16-17 years, respectively. Among all boys, being in a fight and having no close friends was associated with suicidal ideation with the addition of serious injury for boys 13-15 years. Common to all younger adolescents was an association of suicide attempt with being bullied and having had a serious injury. Among young boys, having no close friends was an additional indicator for suicide attempt. Having no close friends was associated with suicide attempt in older adolescents with the addition to being bullied in older girls and serious injury in older boys. Conclusions: Building positive social relationships with peers and avoiding serious injury appear key to suicide prevention strategies for vulnerable adolescents. Targeted programs by age group and sex for such indicators could improve mental health during adolescence in low and middle-income countries, given the diverse risk profiles for suicidal ideation and attempts.