ADOLESCENT HEALTH

A. Preamble

 There are more adolescents today in the

world than ever before.
 It has been estimated that there are 1.2
billion adolescents (one sixth of the
global population) .
 This number is expected to rise,
particularly in low- and middle-income
countries
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

A. Preamble

 Adolescence is a critical stage of human

development
 It comes at a time before a person
transitions into adulthood and comes
along with a myriad of challenges,
depending on their upbringing.
 One of such challenges borders on
health
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

A. Preamble

 According to the World Health

Organisation (WHO), adolescence is the
phase of life between childhood &
adulthood (from 10 – 19 years).
 It is a unique stage of human
development & an important period for
laying the foundations of good health.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

A. Preamble

 Adolescents experience rapid physical,

cognitive & psychosocial growth.
 This affects how they feel, think, and
make decisions about their health; as
well as how they interact with the world
around them.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

A. Preamble

 The adolescent years witness significant

deaths, illnesses & injury.
 During this phase, adolescents establish
patterns of behaviour related to diet,
physical activity, substance use & sexual
activity – that can potentially;
 Protect their health & the health of
others around them.
 Put their health at risk now & in the
future
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

B. Adolescent health risks

 An estimated 1.1 million adolescents die each
year.
 Causes of morbidity & mortality among
adolescents differ by sex & age; and also by
geographic region.
 Among the 10-14 year olds, leading risks for
health are related to water, hygiene, &
sanitation.
 Risks for 15-19-year-olds are more often
related to behaviours such as alcohol & drug
abuse & unsafe sex
 Older adolescent girls are disproportionately
affected by intimate partner violence
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues
 a) Injuries
 Un-intentional injuries are the
leading cause of death & disability
among adolescents.
 In 2019, nearly 100,000 adolescents
died as a result of road traffic
accidents.
 Many of those who died were
vulnerable road users (pedestrians).
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues
 b) Drowning
 Drowning is also among the top
causes of death among
adolescents
 More than 40, 000 adolescents
(over three quarters of them boys),
are estimated to have drowned in
2019.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues
 c) Violence
 Interpersonal violence is among the
leading causes of death in
adolescents & young people
globally.
 Its prominence varies substantially by
world region.
 It causes nearly a third of all
adolescent male deaths in low-&
middle-income countries in Americas
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks
 1. Main health issues
 c) Violence
 According to global school-based student
health survey, 42% of adolescent boys &
37% of adolescent girls were exposed to
bullying in 2019.
 Sexual violence also affects a significant
proportion of youth: 1 in 8 people report
sexual abuse.
 Violence also increases risks of injury,
HIV/STIs, mental health problems, poor
school performance, early pregnancy,
reproductive health problems, CDs &
NCDs.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks
 1. Main health issues
 d) Mental health
 Mental health conditions account for 16%
of the global burden of disease & injury in
people aged 10-19 years.
 Half of all mental health disorders in
adulthood start by age 14, but most cases
are undetected & untreated.
 Depression is one of the leading causes of
illness & disability among adolescents.
 In many instances, depression leads to
suicide, which is the second leading cause
of death in people aged 15-19 years.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks
 1. Main health issues
 d) Mental health
 Many factors have an impact on the well-
being & mental health of adolescents.
 Violence, stigma, exclusion, & living in
humanitarian & fragile settings can
increase risks of developing mental health
problems.
 Consequences of not addressing
adolescent mental health conditions
extend to adulthood, impairing both
physical & mental health & limiting
opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as
adults.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 e) Alcohol & drug use
 Drinking alcohol among adolescents is a major
concern in many countries.
 Globally, more than a quarter of all people
aged 15-19 yrs (155 million) are current
drinkers
 It impairs self-control & increase riky sexual
behaviours such as unsafe sex or dangerous
drinking.
 It is an underlying cause of injuries, violence &
premature deaths.
 It also causes health problems in later life &
affects life expectancy.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 e) Alcohol & drug use
 Cannabis is the most widely used
psychoactive drug among young people
with about 4.7% of people aged 15-16 yrs
using it at least once in 2018.
 Alcohol & drug use in children &
adolescents is associated with
neurocognitive alterations which can lead
to behavioural, emotional, social &
academic problems in later life.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 f) Tobacco use
 Globally, at least 1 in 10 adolescents aged
13-15 years uses tobacco.
 Vast majority of people using tobacco today
began doing so when they were adolescents.
 The consequences of tobacco are well
documented (heightened risks of developing
cancer & other respiratory infections).
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 g) HIV/AIDS
 An estimated 1.7 million adolescents were
living with HIV in 2019.
 The majority of these were living in Africa.
 Currently, adolescents account for 10% of new
adult HIV infections, with three quarters
among girls.
 Worse still, adolescents living with HIV have
limited access to ART, problems with
adherence to treatment, retention in care &
viral suppression.
 Compounding this problem is limited access
to adolescent-friendly services
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 h) Other infectious diseases
 Diarrhoea & lower respiratory tract infections
(pneumonia) are estimated t be among the
top 10 causes of death for adolescents 10-14
years.
 These 2, along with meningitis, are all among
the top 5 causes of adolescent death in
African low-& middle-income countries.
 Human Papilloma Virus that normally occurs
after onset of sexual activity can lead to both
short-term disease (genital warts) during
adolescence, but more also leads to cervical
cancer.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 i) Early pregnancy & childbirth
 Approximately 12 million girls aged 15-19
years & at least 777, 000 girls under 15 years
give birth each year in developing countries.
 The UN Population Division puts the global
adolescent birth rate in 2020 at 41 per 1000
girls.
 Complications from pregnancy & childbirth
are among the leading causes of death for
girls aged 15-19 years globally.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 j) Nutrition & micronutrient deficiencies
 Iron deficiency anaemia was the second
leading cause of years lost by adolescents to
death & disability in 2019.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 1. Main health issues

 k) Undernutrition & Obesity
 Many boys & girls in developing countries
enter adolescence undernourished, making
them vulnerable to disease & early death.
 At the other end of the spectrum, the
number of adolescents who are overweight
or obese is increasing in low- middle- &
high-income countries.
 In 2016, over 1 in 6 adolescents aged 10-
19 years was overweight.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 a) Injuries
 There is need to ensure that road
safety law are more comprehensive,
enforced & strengthened.
 Young drivers need advice on safe
driving
 Laws that prohibit driving under the
influence of alcohol need to be strictly
enforced
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 b) Drowning
 Teaching children & adolescents to
swim is an essential intervention to
prevent these deaths
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 c) Violence
 Effective prevention & response
strategies need to be enhanced
 Address school-based bullying
 Effective & empathetic care for
adolescent survivors of violence
 Promote parenting & early
childhood development
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 c) Mental Health
 Provide adolescent with
psychosocial support in schools &
communities
 Support programmes that seek to
strengthen ties between
adolescents & their families &
improve quality of home
environments
 Mental health problems to be
handled by competent personnel.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 d) Alcohol & drug use
 Prevention of alcohol & drug use
should include population-based
strategies & interventions at all
levels (school, family, community,
individual, etc.)
 Increase minimum age for buying
& consuming alcohol.
 Eliminate marketing & advertising
of alcohol to minors
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 e) HIV/AIDS
 Adolescents need to know how to
how to protect themselves from
HIV infection
 Access VMMC, condoms,
PEP/PrEP, ART, etc.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 f) Other infections
 Vaccination against HPV infection in
early adolescence should be
prioritized.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 g) Early pregnancy & child birth
 Adolescents need to have
comprehensive sexuality education.
 CSE teaches about the cognitive,
emotional, physical & social
aspects of sexuality.
 Better access to contraceptive
information & services can
reduce the number of girls
becoming pregnant & giving
birth at a tender age
ADOLESCENT HEALTH
C. Adolescent health risks

 2. Solution to adolescent health

 h) Nutrition & micronutrient
deficiency
 Develop healthy eating habits in
adolescence
 Reduce marketing of foods high
in saturated fats, trans-fatty
acids, free-sugars or salts
ADOLESCENT HEALTH

3. Conclusion

 What do adolescents need to grow &

develop in good health
 a) age-appropriate comprehensive
sexuality education
 b) opportunities to develop life skills
 c) adolescent-friendly health
services
 d) safe & supportive social
environments