The risk of malnutrition in women spans a lifecycle, and preventing maternal malnutrition requires intervening at all stages of growth and development. The nutritional status of one generation of women affects the nutritional well-being of their children in childhood and adulthood and is often referred to as the “intergenerational effect of malnutrition” (Martorell and Zongrone, 2012). This brief presents information on why the nutrition of adolescent girls and mothers is important, the causes of malnutrition, and the scope of the problem. It also provides an overview of key, nutrition-specific interventions that address the immediate causes of malnutrition in adolescent girls and mothers.
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