Report Shows the Need for Prevention Strategies to Keep Adolescents Healthy

May 13, 2008 - A report on adolescent health in the United States, released in the end of 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shows that the majority of adolescents are healthy when assessed by traditional measures of morbidity and mortality, but that there are still many social and behavioral threats to their health.    

Adolescent Health in the United States, 2007 reveals that the most costly and widespread adolescent health problems are often related to risky behaviors and are potentially preventable such as: unintended pregnancy, sexually-transmitted infections, violence, suicide, unintended injuries, and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. 

Current indicators of adolescent health relayed in the report include:

• Approximately one-half of adolescents engage in some form of sexual contact.  Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are the most commonly reported infectious diseases among sexually active adolescents.
• Pregnancy-related discharges accounted for almost one half of all hospital discharges among female adolescents in 2002-2004; nevertheless, birth rates among adolescents have declined markedly between 1991 and 2004.
• Motor vehicle traffic-related injuries and firearm-related injuries are the two leading causes of death among adolescents 10 to 19 years of age.
• Upper respiratory conditions, asthma, and abdominal or gastrointestinal conditions were among the leading diagnoses for adolescents’ ED visits not related to an injury in 2002-2004.
• Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance during adolescence and marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among high school students.
• A rapidly increasing percentage of the adolescent population is overweight.

The report shows that many health-risk behaviors are often established during youth and extend into adulthood.  For instance, most adults who are addicted to tobacco began smoking as adolescents.  That risk behavior as well as others established during adolescence have been linked to subsequent morbidity and mortality. 

The report emphasizes the need for intervention and prevention strategies to reduce such health-risk behaviors and promote a healthier transition from childhood to adulthood. 

To access the full report, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/adolescent2007.pdf.

Source: “Adolescent Health in the United States, 2007,” MacKay AP and Duran C, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2007.