Adolescent Health and Well-being

Adolescent Health and Well-being

Interactive Knowledge Update
on the ‘health needs of adolescents & current response on ground’

The world is now home to the largest cohort of adolescents in history, 1.2 billion people between the ages of 10 and 19. How they develop and grow has implications that reverberate across generations. (UNICEF 2022 Child & Adolescent health).
Some of the emerging factors that impact the development of today’s adolescents include:
1. Social media
2. Urbanization
3. Unhealthy diets
4. Armed Conflict
5. Climate change
6. Migration

While adolescents have a better chance of improving their health and well-being now more than ever, an estimated 1.2 million still die each year – mostly from preventable causes. Many lack access to the essential information, quality services and protective environments they need to stay healthy and wellbeing. Mental health conditions also take an immense toll. Self-harm is a leading cause of death for adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 (UNICEF, 2022)

Increasingly unhealthy diets, inactive lifestyles, mental ill-health, alcohol and tobacco use, and environmental risks such as air pollution are some of the most prominent issues facing adolescents today, for adolescent girls, the onset of puberty brings additional threats. Health and well-being underpin and determine adolescents’ responses to their environment, to people and to new experiences.

Every adult and every institution of society
from government, to the health care sector to the individual family have a role to play to ensure adolescent health and well-being!

This Interactive Knowledge Update will have three goals:

• Introduce the mandate of the Adolescent Health Academy AHA
• Present the meaningful work of AHA for Adolescent Boys & Girls in Greater Coimbatore
• Provide an opportunity to hear from adolescent girls in the midst of the COVID 19 Pandemic

PPt: AHA-collector-meeting.pdf

Programme