Adolescent Health: A Public Health Perspective
P8616

	Bruce Armstrong, D.S.W.
	Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health

Why is it important to invest in adolescents?

10-19 years olds make up 20% of the world’s population

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A surge in research activities & expanded definitions of “health” have challenged the view of adolescence as time of optimal health

Behaviors initiated in adolescence can become habits during the adult years

Most adolescent mortality and morbidity due to environmental & behavioral factors that be changed

The personal & public costs are/will be staggering if we don’t do more

The gap between reproductive capacity and attaining independent adult status has lengthened

Adolescents are a “trapped audience”…our last chance for large-scale, institutional interventions to promote health

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Substance Abuse

	Youth Risk Behavior Survey
	Monitoring the Future
	National Household Survey of Drug Abuse
	AddHealth
	ESPAD

Sexual & Reproductive Health:

Current Data

Selected Programs

Comprehensive School-Based Health Centers as a Model Primary Health Care Delivery System for Adolescents

Bullying

	8% of 14 year old Swedish & Norwegian boys report being bullied at school
	19% (boys) & 23% (girls) in South Carolina report being bullied several times or more in the past month

% of 20-24 year-olds who had had sex before age 17, by country and gender

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A Youth Development Paradigm