Social Determinants of Health in Adolescents and Young Women's Health and Nutrition: Current Evidence

Adolescence is a nutritionally vulnerable stage of life as a result of physical, physiological, lifestyle and social factors. Nutrition is a leading adolescent health challenge globally; the main problems are undernutrition, obesity, and iron deficiency anemia. Obesity is a greater challenge in high-income countries, while undernutrition constitutes a greater challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), although the level of obesity is also rapidly increasing in many LMICs. Early pregnancy exerts additional nutritional burden on adolescent girls. The prevalence of underweight among adolescent females (15-19 years) is as high as 34% in Niger and Senegal, 35% in Bangladesh, and 47% in India. This chapter reviews the current evidence about the social determinants of health (SDH) - the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age - as regards adolescents and young women's health and nutrition. Important structural determinants include macroeconomic and policy contexts (e.g. level of national wealth and inequity, youth unemployment level) and socioeconomic positions (e.g. income, gender, education). Intermediary determinants include material conditions, behavior and biological system, psychosocial factors, and the health system. Adolescent health policy and programmatic interventions need to take SDH into account in order to reduce inequities, and improve health and well-being.