WHO | Young people= : health risks and solutions

mime-version: 1.0 date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:51:22 +0200 x-mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5994 from: subject: WHO | Young people: health risks and solutions content-type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01CB6A2D.B33EC8E0" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01CB6A2D.B33EC8E0 mime-version: 1.0 content-type: text/html; charset="utf-8" content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-location: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs345/en/print.html =EF=BB=BF WHO | Young people= : health risks and solutions

=20

Fact sheet N=C2=B0345
August 2010

Young people: health risks and solutions

3D""

Key facts

More than 1.8 million young people aged 15 to 24 die each year, most= ly due=20 to preventable causes.
About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth every year.
Young people, 15 to 24 years old, accounted for 40% of all new HIV=20 infections among adults in 2008.
In any given year, about 20% of adolescents will experience a mental= =20 health problem, most commonly depression or anxiety.
An estimated 150 million young people use tobacco.
Approximately 565 young people aged 10 to 29 die every day through=20 interpersonal violence.
Road traffic injuries cause an estimated 1 000 young people to die e= very=20 day.

3D""

Overview

Most young people are healthy. However, more that 1.8 million young peo= ple=20 aged 15 to 24 die each year. A much greater number of young people suffer = from=20 illnesses which hinder their ability to grow and develop to their full=20 potential. A greater number still engage in behaviours that jeopardize not= only=20 their current state of health, but often their health for years to come. N= early=20 two-thirds of premature deaths and one-third of the total disease burden i= n=20 adults are associated with conditions or behaviours that began in their yo= uth,=20 including: tobacco use, a lack of physical activity, unprotected sex or ex= posure=20 to violence.

Promoting healthy practices during adolescence, and taking steps to bet= ter=20 protect young people from health risks is critical to the future of countr= ies=E2=80=99=20 health and social infrastructure and to the prevention of health problems = in=20 adulthood.

In 2002, the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children recognized= the=20 need for the "development and implementation of national health policies a= nd=20 programmes for adolescents, including goals and indicators, to promote the= ir=20 physical and mental health".

An important framework for young people's health are the Millennium=20 Development Goals (MDGs). Two of the MDGs are particularly relevant to you= ng=20 people's health.

MDG 5 aims to achieve universal access to reproductive health, for w= hich=20 one of the indicators is the pregnancy rate among 15 to 19 year old girl= s.=20
MDG 6 to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS has indicators like a 25% reduc= tion=20 among young people, and also measures the proportion of 15 to 24 year ol= ds=20 with comprehensive and correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS.

The right of all young people to health is also enshrined in internatio= nal=20 legal instruments. In 2003, the Committee of the Convention on the Rights = of the=20 Child (CRC) issued a General Comment in which the special health and devel= opment=20 needs and rights of adolescents and young people were recognized. These ar= e=20 further supported by the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination A= gainst=20 Women (CEDAW) and the Right to Health.

Health issues affecting young people

Some of the main health issues affecting young people are described=20 below.

Early pregnancy and childbirth

About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 years give birth every year - roug= hly=20 11% of all births worldwide. The vast majority of adolescents=E2=80=99 bir= ths occur in=20 developing countries. The risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes is m= uch=20 higher for adolescents than for older women. The younger the adolescent, t= he=20 greater the risk. The formulation and enforcement of laws that specify a m= inimum=20 age of marriage, community mobilization to support these laws, and better = access=20 to contraceptive information and services can decrease too-early pregnanci= es.=20 Those adolescents who do become pregnant should be provided with quality=20 antenatal care and skilled birth attendance. Where permitted by law, those= =20 adolescents who opt to terminate their pregnancies should have access to s= afe=20 abortion.

HIV

Fifteen to 24 year olds accounted for an estimated 40% of all new HIV=20 infections among adults worldwide in 2008. Every day, 2 500 more young peo= ple=20 get infected and globally there are more than 5.7 million young people liv= ing=20 with HIV/AIDS. Young people need to know how to protect themselves and hav= e the=20 means to do so. This includes condoms to prevent sexual transmission of th= e=20 virus and clean needles and syringes for those who inject drugs. Currently= , only=20 30% of young men and 19% of young women have the comprehensive and correct= =20 knowledge they need to protect themselves from acquiring the virus. Better= =20 access to HIV testing and counselling will inform young people about their= =20 status, help them to get the care they need, and avoid further spread of t= he=20 virus. Where social, cultural and economic conditions increase the vulnera= bility=20 of young people to HIV infection, an effective HIV prevention strategy sho= uld=20 aim to address these factors as well.

Malnutrition

Many boys and girls in developing countries enter adolescence undernour= ished,=20 making them more vulnerable to disease and early death. Conversely, overwe= ight=20 and obesity (another form of malnutrition with serious health consequences= and=20 important longer term financial implications for health systems) are incre= asing=20 among young people in both low- and high-income countries. Adequate nutrit= ion=20 and healthy eating and physical exercise habits at this age are foundation= s for=20 good health in adulthood. In addition, it is important to prevent nutritio= nal=20 problems by providing advice, food and micronutrient supplementation (e.g.= to=20 pregnant adolescents), as well as detecting and managing problems (such as= =20 anaemia) promptly and effectively when they occur.

Mental health

In any given year, about 20% of adolescents will experience a mental he= alth=20 problem, most commonly depression or anxiety. The risk is increased by=20 experiences of violence, humiliation, devaluation and poverty, and suicide= is=20 one of the leading causes of death in young people. Building life skills i= n=20 children and adolescents, and providing them with psychosocial support in= =20 schools and other community settings can help promote mental health. If pr= oblems=20 arise, they should be detected and managed by competent and caring health= =20 workers.

Tobacco use

The vast majority of tobacco users worldwide began when they were=20 adolescents. Today an estimated 150 million young people use tobacco. This= =20 number is increasing globally, particularly among young women. Half of tho= se=20 users will die prematurely as a result of tobacco use. Banning tobacco=20 advertising, raising the prices of tobacco products and laws prohibiting s= moking=20 in public places reduce the number of people who start using tobacco produ= cts.=20 They also lower the amount of tobacco consumed by smokers and increase the= =20 numbers of young people who quit smoking.

Harmful use of alcohol

Harmful drinking among young people is an increasing concern in many=20 countries. It reduces self-control and increases risky behaviours. It is a= =20 primary cause of injuries (including those due to road traffic accidents),= =20 violence (especially domestic violence) and premature deaths. Banning alco= hol=20 advertising and regulating access to it are effective strategies to reduce= =20 alcohol use by young people. Brief interventions of advice and counselling= when=20 alcohol use is detected can contribute to reducing harmful use.

Violence

Violence is one of the leading causes of death among young people,=20 particularly males: an estimated 565 young people aged 10 to 29 years die = every=20 day through interpersonal violence. For each death, an estimated 20 to 40 = youths=20 require hospital treatment for a violence-related injury.

Promoting nurturing relationships between parents and children early in= life,=20 providing training in life skills, and reducing access to alcohol and leth= al=20 means such as firearms help prevent violence. Effective and empathetic car= e for=20 adolescent victims of violence and ongoing support can help deal with both= the=20 physical and the psychological consequences of violence.

Injuries

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death and disability amon= g=20 young people. Road traffic injuries take the lives of a staggering 1 000 y= oung=20 people every day. Advising young people on driving safely, strictly enforc= ing=20 laws that prohibit driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and=20 increasing access to reliable and safe public transportation can reduce ro= ad=20 traffic accidents in young people. If road traffic crashes occur, prompt a= ccess=20 to effective trauma care can be life saving.

WHO's response

WHO carries out a range of functions to improve the health of young=20 people:

counting the number of young people who die, experience illness and= =20 injury, and the number who engage in behaviours that can lead to illness= or=20 injury in the future. It also includes assessing factors in the communit= y that=20 hinder or help the health and development of adolescents;
identifying the most effective ways of promoting good health among y= oung=20 people, preventing health problems and responding to them when they occu= r;=20
producing the methods and tools by which evidence can be applied in= =20 countries;
ensuring that there are individuals and institutions that can apply = these=20 tools in countries;
raising attention of issues among the public at large and among spec= ial=20 groups;
building a shared understanding among partners and a shared sense of= =20 purpose on what needs to be done;
supporting countries with the formulation of policies and programmes= ,=20 their implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

3D""

For more information contact

WHO Media centre
Telephone: +41 22 791 2222
E-mail: mediainquiries@who.int

Corporate links