Bangladesh’s ambitions for middle-income status require the energy and creativity of the next generation. Investments in the nutrition of adolescents will enable this potential by realizing the demographic dividend.
Now is the time to make this happen! Prioritization of adolescent nutrition in national budget allocations and the Eighth 5-Year plan provide this opportunity!
Good nutrition is vital to the cognitive and physical development of adolescents. Investing in adolescent nutrition also leads to a productive workforce by preventing non-communicable diseases linked to risk factors like obesity and hypertension. For adolescent girls, these investments will enhance maternal health and birth outcomes, and contribute to breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.