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Issue Description
At a time when three in ten children in Britain are overweight or obese and the UK has the third highest number of 15- and 16-year-olds with an alcohol problem, how do young people deal with the health issues associated with their age group? This books looks at nutrition and exercise, mental health problems including depression, eating disorders and self-harm, and the prevalence of risk-taking behaviours such as smoking, binge drinking, drug use and unsafe sex.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
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Key Facts
- Most children in England are not obese or overweight, meet the government’s recommended physical activity targets, don’t smoke or drink and think healthy food is enjoyable – although they’re not reaching the ‘five a day’ target – according to the latest Health Survey for England (HSE). (page 2)
- According to BMI measurements, around three in ten boys and girls aged 2-15 were either overweight or obese. (page 2)
- Nearly two-thirds of premature deaths and one-third of the total disease burden in adults are associated with conditions or behaviours that began in youth, including tobacco use, a lack of physical activity, unprotected sex or exposure to violence. (page 4)
- A new study has suggested that being overweight or seriously underweight as a teenager curbs life expectancy as much as smoking ten cigarettes a day. (page 7)
- In 2008 eight per cent of 11- to 15-year-old girls and five per cent of 11- to 15-year-old boys were regular smokers. (page 12)
- The proportion of women who binge-drink almost doubled between 1998 and 2006 and is now at 15% (men who binge-drink increased by 1% to 23%). However, the proportion of 16- to 24-year-old men binge-drinking decreased by 9% since 2000, according to research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. (page 14)
- The main drugs those aged 13-18 are being treated for are alcohol and/or cannabis; for 19-24 year olds it is heroin/opiates followed by cannabis and then cocaine; and for 25-30 year olds, heroin/opiates are the most common substances people in that age range are being treated for. (page 18)
- Young people (aged 16-24 years old) are the age group most at risk of being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, accounting for 65% of all chlamydia, 50% of genital warts and 50% of gonorrhoea infections diagnosed in genitourinary medicine clinics across the UK in 2007. (page 26)
- 75% of sexually active youngsters are not using condoms and nearly 60% of 16 to 24 year olds questioned thought they were not at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS after having unprotected sex, according to a survey from the Staying Alive Foundation. (page 28)
- One in ten 16 to 25 year olds polled by the Prince’s Trust for its Youth Index study said they felt that life was meaningless, and more than a quarter (27%) said they were always or often down or depressed. Almost half of all those surveyed (47%) said they were regularly stressed. (page 32)
- More than one in five 16 to 24 year olds (21%) have self-harmed, according to the results of a survey by youth mental health charity 42nd Street, youth homelessness charity Depaul UK and online communications charity YouthNet. (page 33)
- Anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of age, sex, cultural or racial background, although the people most likely to be affected tend to be young women, particularly between the ages of 15-25. It is not unusual, however, for an eating disorder to appear in middle age. (page 39)
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: Healthy Lifestyles
Health questionnaire, How healthy are our children?, Adolescent health, ‘Is drinking too much really that big a deal?’, What’s the best exercise for teenagers?, Being obese is as bad as a packet of cigarettes, Good nutrition during the teenage years, Skin cancer now threatens women in their twenties, Young smokers fear future impact on their appearance, Young people and smoking, Alcohol in Britain, Binge drinking, Britain’s ‘chronic’ teenage binge-drinking problem, Underage drinking debate, More young people seek help for problems with drugs, Drug problems, Acne.
Chapter Two: Sexual Health
Am I ready for sex?, Healthy sex life, Sexually transmitted infections, Sex secrets putting young people’s health at risk, STIs and young people, Contraception – the facts, Concern over young people’s risky sex.
Chapter Three: Mental Health
Children and young people, Young people’s mental health ignorance, Depression among the young at alarming level, One in five young people have self-harmed, The epidemic of self-harm, Suicidal children, Teens should be taught how to handle school stress, Beat exam stress, What is an eating disorder?
Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Additional Resources
Acknowledgements
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The Study Guide for: Health Issues for Young People - Volume 176
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.95
ISBN: 978 1 86168 516 2