ADOLESCENT HEALTH

Adolescent Health



Adolescent Health

Overview

One of the goals of 2020 Health initiative is: “To improve the healthy development, health, safety, and well-being of adolescents and young adults” (www.healthypeople.gov). According to an estimate the adolescent and young adults' population makes up 21 percent of the entire population of the United States (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2009). Children under the age group of 10-19 are included in the adolescent group, whereas people from the age of 20-24 are included in the group of young adults. The patterns of behavior which people develop during these ages are not only a determinant of their health, but also of future risks of developing chronic diseases in the later years of their life (Mulye et al, 2009). No matter these are times when the young adults and adolescents are in optimum health; however, this is also the time where a few social and public health problems arise or reach at their peak.

Following are a few examples of such problems:

Suicide

Substance abuse or use

Homicide

Crashes of motor vehicles; also including those caused due to drunk driving.

Smoking

Various sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or AIDS

Homelessness

Unplanned or teen pregnancies (National Research Council, 1993)

Since people belonging to the above mentioned age group pass through a transition period of development, they are sensitive to the surrounding environment in general. In other words, the environmental factors have a heavy influence on the personality of these people. Environmental factors, such as friends and family, neighborhood, school, societal cues and policies, can affect these people in two ways; either they help in development or creates hurdle and challenges for the health and well being of adolescents and young adults. In order to address the matter of adolescent people's positive development, they should be facilitated appropriately so that they can develop healthy behaviors, which will eventually ascertain a productive and healthy future of this younger generation (Halfon andHochstein, 2002). Significance of Adolescent Health

Adolescence is considered to be a significant period of developmental transition which also includes biological changes in youngsters such puberty, and a necessity to discuss major tasks for development, for instance, increasing novel experiences and independence. A number of programs and policies are developed in order to address the issue of adolescent health. These policies and programs include:

State graduated driver licensing programs

Prevention programs for teen pregnancy

Violence prevention programs

Criminal behavior prevention programs

Interventions for substance abuse and mental health

Interventions for prevention of HIV and AIDS (National Research Council, 2007)

Understanding Adolescent Health

The key factors, which lead to illness and mortality, amongst young adults and adolescents can be prevented on a broader scale. The health effects of young adults and adolescents are based on the environment surrounding them these effects are arbitrated by the behaviors which they have. Young people's behavior is affected largely by the following factors:

Individual

Peers

Family

School

Community

Societal levels

Emerging Issues in Adolescent Health

A few note-worthy issues affect the approach towards adolescent health in the future. Firstly, the crucial issue is the ethnical diversity of the adolescent population, as Asian American and Hispanic youth ...