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Adolescent Nutrition: A Focus on MENA

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Adolescent Health in the Middle East and North Africa

Part of the book series: Global Perspectives on Health Geography ((GPHG))

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Abstract

International organizations and researchers have been paying closer attention and raising concern regarding adolescent health in the past decade. This, given that more than 1.4 million adolescents (age 10–years) are approximated to face mortality each year (97% of such deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries), and a larger number of them are suffering from diseases including nutritional-related diseases. Adolescence is a phase of recently realized freedom and liberation, but it is a remarkable period of dietary instability. Without sufficient and optimal nutritional intake, the dynamic hormonal interaction required to natural pubertal growth, linear progression, and neurodevelopmental modifications cannot take place. Adolescence correlates with dramatic developmental tasks influencing adult health determinants, and certain adult health problems contribute to causes that evolve throughout puberty. Nutritional status plays a pivotal role in acute and chronic disease incidence, persistence, and outcome. Apparently, dietary problems impact millions of young adults in both high-income countries (HIC) and low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the increasing rate of obesity among adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) should be given serious attention, in particular with the existing evidence that there has been a dietary change in this part of the world. Thus, this chapter will focus on exploring the factors influencing eating behaviors of adolescents, nutritional needs, eating disorders, and nutrition of adolescents in the MENA region in an attempt to take a comprehensive glance at the issue at hand. To reach this aim, this paper has reviewed immense evidence through accessing established databases and regional, as well as international, research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

    Mirna Fawaz

Authors
  1. Mirna Fawaz
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Correspondence to Mirna Fawaz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada

    Caroline Barakat

  2. Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Rania Dghaim

  3. Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Fatme Al Anouti

Reflection Questions

Reflection Questions

  1. 1.

    What characterizes adolescence as a developmental stage?

  2. 2.

    What is the difference between macro- and micronutrients needed during adolescence?

  3. 3.

    How are eating disorders precipitated during adolescence?

  4. 4.

    How do the cultural and sociopolitical contexts affect nutrition in the MENA region?

  5. 5.

    How can nutrition be inducted on the policymaking table and what actions could be taken?

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Fawaz, M. (2022). Adolescent Nutrition: A Focus on MENA. In: Barakat, C., Dghaim, R., Al Anouti, F. (eds) Adolescent Health in the Middle East and North Africa. Global Perspectives on Health Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92107-1_2

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