Adolescence is a critical period for promoting health and disease prevention, but it is often overlooked. The majority of the nation’s 42 million adolescents1, aged 10 to 19, are generally healthy. In recent years, the United States has seen a decrease in sexual risk behaviors, teen births, smoking, and substance use, as well as higher academic achievement among younger adolescents. However, all adolescents can benefit from advice on how to improve their health and development during these years—and serious challenges remain for some.
Adolescent health encompasses changing transitions in a variety of domains, including physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and intellectual health. The rapid development of these various domains can result in phenomenal growth during this time period. This development can also occur at different rates, putting adolescents at a higher risk for risky behaviors and developing mental health issues. Understanding adolescent development, environmental influences, and risk and protective factors that can affect adolescent health is important so that organizations and individuals who work with youth can support the health and healthy development of all adolescents.
Adolescent Health
The Global Strategy, which directs countries to achieve their SDGs, has called on countries to focus efforts on adolescent health because of their potential role in breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty. The challenge in achieving these health goals will be convincing governments to invest in this age group as a means of improving national productivity and the economy. Significant gaps in data on adolescents are one of the most difficult challenges to promoting their health and rights.
Strategies to address the unmet needs of adolescent health efforts must emphasize improving secondary school completion rates, particularly among females. Through education, adolescents’ capacities and values can be developed, empowering an entire generation to become economically independent, positive contributors to society, and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Resources
Got Transition
The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health’s programme is supported by a cooperative agreement with the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and Health Resources and Services Administration. Its goal is to improve the transition from paediatric to adult health care by implementing evidence-based strategies for clinicians and other health care providers, public health programmes, payers and plans, youth and young adults, and parents and caregivers.
Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviours and Outcomes: Thriving in the 21st Century
This report identifies key programme factors that can improve health outcomes related to adolescent behaviour and makes evidence-based recommendations for effective federal programming implementation. This research looks at normative adolescent development, the current landscape of adolescent risk behaviour, the core components of effective programmes aimed at optimal health, and recommendations for research, programmes, and policies.
2019 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey (YRBS) Results
These reports provide data on the percentages of high school and middle school students who engage in certain risk behaviours, as well as the status of school health policies and programmes aimed at addressing those behaviours.
Adolescent Health Facts
The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) maintains a webpage with fact sheets on adolescent health based on the federal data on adolescents in each state and select island territories.
America’s Diverse Adolescents
This OPA webpage provides a snapshot of the racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics of adolescents in the United States.
Division of Adolescent and School Health
The Centres for the Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) provides additional information on adolescent health topics such as fact sheets, data and statistics, publications, and other resources.
Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
This report from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health presents the most recent survey results, focusing on key indicators of substance use and mental health in the United States, including findings on adolescents.
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)
On January 7, 2014, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) to reach out to 253 million adolescents – male and female, rural and urban, married and unmarried, in and out-of-school adolescents – with a special focus on marginalised and underserved groups. The programme broadens the scope of adolescent health programming in India, from sexual and reproductive health to nutrition, injuries and violence (including gender-based violence), noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and substance abuse. The program’s strength is its health promotion approach. It represents a paradigm shift from existing clinic-based services to promotion and prevention, as well as reaching adolescents in their natural settings, such as schools, families, and communities. Community-based interventions such as counsellor outreach, facility-based counselling, social and behaviour change communication, and the strengthening of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics at all levels of care are key drivers of the programme.
Adolescents frequently lack the autonomy and agency to make their own decisions. RKSK is aware of this and works with parents and the community to address it.The emphasis is on reorganising the existing public health system to meet the needs of adolescents. During clinic sessions, adolescents, married and unmarried, girls and boys, are provided with a core package of services that includes preventive, promotive, curative, and counselling services, as well as routine check-ups at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care.
High-risk behaviours to watch for in adolescents
We can all remember what it was like to go through puberty and adolescence. This is a period of intense personal growth and increasing independence. Adolescents may make decisions that jeopardise their health and well-being as they transition from child to adult. The high-risk behaviours that lead to these choices have the potential to shape adult behaviour, with serious consequences for society and young people alike. Sexual activity, substance abuse, cigarette smoking, preventable injury and violence, including self-harm, are some of the most common adolescent high-risk behaviours.
Sexual activity
When adolescents become sexually active, their actions can frequently lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy. Many parents and their children are unaware of the dangers of sexual activity, including the numerous infections that can result. Although many STIs are treatable, the symptoms and complications of infections such as herpes and HIV must be managed for the rest of one’s life. Most teenagers who engage in sexual activity do not use consistent birth control methods or protection, and if they do, they do so incorrectly, increasing the risk of an unplanned pregnancy.
Substance abuse, cigarette smoking
Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco all have an effect on the developing brain. Even after a single use, usage has the potential to alter brain structure and impair decision-making abilities. Alcohol and marijuana are the most commonly abused substances among adolescents.
Misuse of prescription medications and household cleaning agents also poses a risk. According to the data, 16 percent of high school students have taken prescription drugs prescribed for someone other than themselves (such as OxyContin, Ritalin, or Xanax). Household items such as paint thinners and glues are frequently used to get high.
Adolescent tobacco use is changing. Parents may be concerned about cigarettes at first, but today’s adolescents also use cigars, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and vaporizers.
Preventable injury, violence
The majority of adolescent injuries are caused by a lack of preventative measures, such as wearing helmets, wearing seatbelts, and driving sober. Distracted driving is on the rise, with data showing that 41 percent of teenagers have texted and/or emailed while driving.
When we talk about adolescent violence, most of us think of fighting and harming one another, but suicide and self-harm also affect young adults and their families. According to data, 17 percent of adolescents seriously considered suicide in the previous year, with girls having twice the rate of boys. Many admit to attempting suicide, but the majority do not sustain injuries severe enough to necessitate medical attention. Non-suicidal self-injury refers to intentional self-harm such as cutting, burning, scratching, hitting, and so on. Adolescents frequently do this to deal with emotional pain or to feel something when they are numb.
Conclusion
Adolescence is a critical period for promoting health and disease prevention, but it is often overlooked. The majority of the nation’s 42 million adolescents1, aged 10 to 19, are generally healthy. Adolescent health encompasses changing transitions in a variety of domains, including physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and intellectual health. The rapid development of these various domains can result in phenomenal growth during this time period. The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health’s programme is supported by a cooperative agreement with the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and Health Resources and Services Administration. the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) to reach out to 253 million adolescents – male and female, rural and urban, married and unmarried, in and out-of-school adolescents – with a special focus on marginalised and underserved groups. When adolescents become sexually active, their actions can frequently lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy.