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Review
. 2016 Oct;59(4S):S29-S39.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.022.

Interventions to Improve Adolescent Nutrition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Rehana A Salam  1 , Mehar Hooda  1 , Jai K Das  1 , Ahmed Arshad  1 , Zohra S Lassi  2 , Philippa Middleton  3 , Zulfiqar A Bhutta  4
Affiliations
Review

Interventions to Improve Adolescent Nutrition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Rehana A Salam et al. J Adolesc Health. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Adequate adolescent nutrition is an important step for optimal growth and development. In this article, we systematically reviewed published studies till December 2014 to ascertain the effectiveness of interventions to improve adolescent nutrition. We found one existing systematic review on interventions to prevent obesity which we updated and conducted de novo reviews for micronutrient supplementation and nutrition interventions for pregnant adolescents. Our review findings suggest that micronutrient supplementation among adolescents (predominantly females) can significantly decrease anemia prevalence (relative risk [RR]: .69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: .62-.76) while interventions to improve nutritional status among "pregnant adolescents" showed statistically significant improved birth weight (standard mean difference: .25; 95% CI: .08-.41), decreased low birth weight (RR: .70; 95% CI: .57-.84), and preterm birth (RR: .73; 95% CI: .57-.95). Interventions to promote nutrition and prevent obesity had a marginal impact on reducing body mass index (standard mean difference: -.08; 95% CI: -.17 to .01). However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to significant statistical heterogeneity.

Keywords: Adolescent nutrition; Micronutrient supplementation; Preconception nutrition; Pregnant adolescents.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Search flow diagram for de novo reviews (micronutrient supplementation and nutrition for pregnant adolescents). (B) Search flow diagram for review update (interventions to prevent obesity).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Impact of iron/iron folic acid supplementation on anemia. IFA = iron folic acid; IV = inverse variance; SE = standard error.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Impact of nutritional interventions for pregnant women on mean birth weight. IV = inverse variance; SD = standard deviation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Impact of nutritional interventions for pregnant women on low birth weight. IV = inverse variance; SE = standard error.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Impact of interventions to prevent obesity on mean change in body mass index. IV = inverse variance; SD = standard deviation.
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