27. April 2007
Poor state of health of the young generation
The youth state of health is under bad conditions, health care is not taken seriously enough for and by this group of the world population. Lancet, a British health magazine reports about a generation of which is not taken care sufficiently.
Poor health among young people has historically been due to diseases such as tuberculosis and polio. Such scourges have thankfully been largely eradicated in the developed world. But they have been replaced by different sorts of problems.
Now, poor health among teenagers results from a growth in "risky behaviour", such as unprotected sex, smoking, drinking and drug abuse. Sexually transmitted diseases are prevalent. Obesity rates are growing. Depression and mental illness seem to be on the increase, too.
Part of the problem is that health services do not tackle adolescents in effectual enough. The majority of youth health resources are aimed at pre-teen children. Teenagers often feel uncomfortable coming forward with their problems to what they perceive to be an unsympathetic establishment.
This is all compounded by the fact that there is a much longer period between puberty and traditional adulthood than there was in the past. Whereas once it was relatively common for young people to begin work or get married in their teens, they are now increasingly likely to continue living at home until later in life. The consequence is that there is more time in which various malign social pressures can take effect.
The most immediate solution is a re-orientation of health resources. Adolescents need specialist help; more services dealing with youth mental illness, drug abuse and alcoholism are needed. Furthermore, improved sex education at school would be an important next step.
There are some grounds for hope. Because ill health is often a result of poor choices, we have the potential to tackle it through education. There is no need for any real medical breakthroughs. And success here can improve habits in later life. There will be a future health dividend if we can get this right.
The first step is to acknowledge that adolescents are neither mature children, nor young adults. They must be treated and supported on their own terms - and in their own right.
Source: The Independent, March 27th 2007