[PDF-youth] Adolescent Health: Risks & Solutions - Young Women

Thu Nov 22 18:42:19 MST 2018

Kia Ora, Fakalofa lahi atu Solo

Thank you for this very informative article.

As an observation to this important reports is obviously the absence of
disability . 

Knowing this situation gives more reason for disability related data and
statistics to be able to  make comparisons between non disabled and disabled
at various age groups in the life cycle.  

The SDGs 2030 Agenda for Action  has prioritised Data collection and
Statistics to include questions to capture disability in the national
census. Recent information received indicates the formation of important
partnerships with SPC and UNICEF to focus of disability data. It will be
interesting to see what will unfold in the next few years. PDF as the
regional voice may all ready have this as one of the themes and included in
the 2019 Regional Forum Conference, Women with Disabilities Conference, and
Youth with Disabilities

Have a good week end.

Best wishes.

Latoa 

Latoa Halatau

Research 

From: PDF-youth <pdf-youth-bounces at lists.pacificdisability.org> On Behalf Of
Soloveni Vitoso
Sent: Friday, 2 November 2018 9:14 AM
To: pdf-youth at lists.pacificdisability.org
Subject: [PDF-youth] Adolescent Health: Risks & Solutions - Young Women

http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescents-health-risks-and
-solutionsN

Adolescent Health: Risks & Solutions - Young Women

5 February 2018 

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Key facts

*        Estimated 1.2 million adolescents died in 2015, over 3y day, mostly
from preventable or treatable causes.

*         

*        Road traffic injuries were the leading cause of death in 2015.
Other major causes of adolescent deaths include lower respiratory
infections, suicide, diarrhoeal diseases, and drowning.

*         

*        Globally, there are 44 births per 1000 to girls aged 15 to 19 per
year.

*         

*        Half of all mental health disorders in adulthood start by age 14,
but most cases are undetected and untreated.

*        .....................................................

5 February 2018 - Around 1.2 billion people, or 1 in 6 of the world's
population, are adolescents aged 10 to 19.

Most are healthy, but there is still substantial premature death, illness,
and injury among adolescents. Illnesses can hinder their ability to grow and
develop to their full potential. Alcohol or tobacco use, lack of physical
activity, unprotected sex and/or exposure to violence can jeopardize not
only their current health, but also their health as adults, and even the
health of their future children.

Promoting healthy behaviours during adolescence, and taking steps to better
protect young people from health risks are critical for the prevention of
health problems in adulthood, and for countries' future health and ability
to develop and thrive.

Main Health Issues Include:

Early pregnancy and childbirth

The leading cause of death for 15- 19-year-old girls globally is
complications from pregnancy and childbirth.

Some 11% of all births worldwide are to girls aged 15-19 years, and the vast
majority of these births are in low- and middle-income countries. The UN
Population Division puts the global adolescent birth rate in 2015 at 44
births per 1000 girls this age - country rates range from 1 to over 200
births per 1000 girls (1). This indicates a marked decrease since 1990. This
decrease is reflected in a similar decline in maternal mortality rates among
15-19 year olds.

One of the specific targets of the health Sustainable Development Goal (SDG
3) is that by 2030, the world should ensure universal access to sexual and
reproductive health-care services, including for family planning,
information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into
national strategies and programmes. To support this, a proposed indicator
for the Global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health is
the adolescent birth rate.

Better access to contraceptive information and services can reduce the
number of girls becoming pregnant and giving birth at too young an age. Laws
that specify a minimum age of marriage at 18 and which are enforced can
help. 

Girls who do become pregnant need access to quality antenatal care. Where
permitted by law, adolescents who opt to terminate their pregnancies should
have access to safe abortion.

HIV

More than 2 million adolescents are living with HIV. Although the overall
number of HIV-related deaths is down 30% since the peak in 2006 estimates
suggest that HIV deaths among adolescents are rising. This increase, which
has been predominantly in the WHO African Region, may reflect the fact that
although more children with HIV survive into adolescence, they do not all
then get the care and support they need to remain in good health and prevent
transmission. In sub-Saharan Africa only 10% of young men and 15% of young
women aged 15 to 24 are aware of their HIV status. 

One of the specific targets of the health Sustainable Development Goal (SDG
3) is that by 2030 there should be an end to the epidemics of AIDS,
tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases, hepatitis,
water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases. Given the high
prevalence of HIV in many countries, to achieve this, adolescents will need
to be central to control efforts.

Young people need to know how to protect themselves and must have the means
to do so. This includes being able to obtain condoms to prevent sexual
transmission of the virus and clean needles and syringes for those who
inject drugs. Better access to HIV testing and counselling, and stronger
subsequent links to HIV treatment services for those who test HIV positive,
are also needed.

Other infectious diseases

Thanks to improved childhood vaccination, adolescent deaths and disability
from measles have fallen markedly - for example, by 90% in the African
Region between 2000 and 2012. Diarrhoea and lower respiratory tract
infections are estimated to be among the top 5 causes of death for 10-19
year olds. These two diseases, together with meningitis, are the top three
causes of adolescent death in African low and middle-income countries
(LMICs).

Mental health

Depression is the third leading cause of illness and disability among
adolescents, and suicide is the third leading cause of death in older
adolescents (15-19 years). Violence, poverty, humiliation and feeling
devalued can increase the risk of developing mental health problems.

Building life skills in children and adolescents and providing them with
psychosocial support in schools and other community settings can help
promote good mental health. Programmes to help strengthen the ties between
adolescents and their families are also important. If problems arise, they
should be detected and managed by competent and caring health workers.

Violence

Violence is a leading cause of death in older adolescent males.
Interpersonal violence represents 43% of all adolescent male deaths in LMICs
in the WHO Americas Region. Globally, 1 in 10 girls under the age of 20
years report experiencing sexual violence.

Promoting nurturing relationships between parents and children early in
life, providing training in life skills, and reducing access to alcohol and
firearms can help to prevent injuries and deaths due to violence. Effective
and empathetic care for adolescent survivors of violence and ongoing support
can help deal with the physical and psychological consequences.

Alcohol and drugs

Harmful drinking among adolescents is a major concern in many countries. It
reduces self-control and increases risky behaviours, such as unsafe sex or
dangerous driving. It is a primary cause of injuries (including those due to
road traffic accidents), violence (especially by a partner) and premature
deaths. It can also lead to health problems in later life and affect life
expectancy. Setting a minimum age for buying and consuming alcohol and
regulating how alcoholic drinks are targeted at the younger market are among
the strategies for reducing harmful drinking.

Drug use among 15-19 year olds is also an important global concern. Drug
control may focus on reducing drug demand, drug supply, or both, and
successful programmes usually include structural, community, and
individual-level interventions.

Injuries

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death and disability among
adolescents. In 2015, over 115 000 adolescents died as a result of road
traffic accidents. Young drivers need advice on driving safely, while laws
that prohibit driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs need to be
strictly enforced. Blood alcohol levels need to be set lower for teenage
drivers. Graduated licences for novice drivers with zero-tolerance for
drink-driving are recommended.

Drowning is also a major cause of death among adolescents - 57 000
adolescents, two-thirds of them boys, are estimated to have drowned in 2015,
and teaching children and adolescents to swim is an essential intervention
to prevent these deaths.

Malnutrition and obesity

Many boys and girls in developing countries enter adolescence
undernourished, making them more vulnerable to disease and early death. At
the other end of the spectrum, the number of adolescents who are overweight
or obese is increasing in low, middle and high-income countries.

Exercise and nutrition

Iron deficiency anaemia is the leading cause of years lost to death and
disability in 2015. Iron and folic acid supplements are a solution that also
helps to promote health before adolescents become parents. Regular deworming
in areas where intestinal helminths such as hookworm are common is
recommended to prevent micronutrient (including iron) deficiencies.

Developing healthy eating and exercise habits in adolescence are foundations
for good health in adulthood. Reducing the marketing of foods high in
saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt and providing access
to healthy foods and opportunities to engage in physical activity are
important for all but especially children and adolescents. Yet available
survey data indicate that fewer than 1 in every 4 adolescents meets the
recommended guidelines for physical activity: 60 minutes of moderate to
vigorous physical activity daily.

Tobacco use

The vast majority of people using tobacco today began doing so when they
were adolescents. Prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors and
increasing the price of tobacco products through higher taxes, banning
tobacco advertising and ensuring smoke-free environments are crucial.
Globally, at least 1 in 10 adolescents aged 13 to 15 years uses tobacco,
although there are areas where this figure is much higher. Cigarette smoking
seems to be decreasing among younger adolescents in some high-income
countries.

Rights of adolescents

The rights of children (people under 18 years of age) to survive, grow and
develop are enshrined in international legal documents. In 2013, the
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which oversees the child rights
convention, published guidelines on the right of children and adolescents to
the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and a General
Comment on realizing the rights of children during adolescence was published
in 2016. It highlights states' obligations to recognise the special health
and development needs and rights of adolescents and young people.

The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
also sets out the rights of women and girls to health and adequate health
care.

WHO response

In May 2017, WHO - World Health Organization - published a major report:
Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance
to support country implementation.
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/255415/9789241512343-eng.pdf
;jsessionid=F28D875BC3A4A2F11FEBD5619B437705?sequence=1
<http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/255415/9789241512343-eng.pd
f;jsessionid=F28D875BC3A4A2F11FEBD5619B437705?sequence=1%20>  

The AA-HA! Guidance has drawn on inputs received during extensive
consultations with Member States, United Nations agencies, adolescents and
young people, civil society and other partners. It aims to assist
governments in deciding what they plan to do and how they plan to do it as
they respond to the health needs of adolescents in their countries. This
reference document targets national-level policy-makers and programme
managers to assist them in planning, implementing , monitoring and
evaluation of adolescent health programmes.

Overall, WHO carries out a range of functions to improve the health of young
people, including:

*        *Production of evidence-based guidelines to support health services
and other sectors;

*        *Making recommendations to governments on adolescent health and the
provision of high quality, age-appropriate health services for adolescents;

*        *Documenting progress in adolescent health and development; and

*        *Raising awareness of health issues for young people among the
general public and other interested stakeholders.

______________________________________________

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