Six actions to improve adolescent health
Young people participate in a sexuality education session, India
Understanding and addressing the specific health risks and needs adolescents face today is key to improving their future health, as well as for broader social and economic stability.
Prevent teenage pregnancy
An estimated 21 million adolescent girls (15–19 years) in low- and middle-income countries become pregnant each year, with half of these pregnancies unintended. The health consequences are severe, with higher risks of maternal complications than women aged 20–24 years and of adverse outcomes for their babies.
Adolescent pregnancy also limits opportunities for education and later employment, as girls often must drop out of school when pregnant. Disparities within and across countries underscore the need to prioritize settings and populations most likely to be left behind.
Preventing pregnancy among adolescents and related mortality and morbidity are foundational to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including targets relating to maternal and newborn health.
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is one intervention shown to be effective in preventing early and unintended adolescent pregnancies, as are enabling laws and policies ensuring adolescents can access contraceptives without stigma or restrictions.
/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/young-people-at-school-in-albania.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=2b86b49_1 "Young people at school in Albania")
UNFPA figures already show an increase in the number of young people using contraceptives in Albania, thanks in part to a new peer-counselling initiative.
/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/campaigning-against-child-marriage-in-uganda.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=9442424e_1 "Campaigning against child marriage in Uganda")
Faida is campaigning against child marriage in Uganda.
Protect adolescent girls from harmful practices
Harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are human rights violations that are driven by gender norms that seek to control women’s sexuality.
For many adolescent girls, early pregnancy happens within the context of child marriage. One in 5 young women aged 20 to 24 years today was married before she turned 18. Although rates have declined by 20% globally since 2000, progress is uneven – and in regions with the highest prevalence there has barely been a change.
Today, 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM, representing an increase of 15% in absolute numbers of those living with its consequences. FGM has no health benefits and it harms girls and women in many ways. Furthermore, treatment of the health complications of FGM is estimated to cost health systems US$ 1.4 billion per year.
Achieving the SDG goal of gender equality and target to eliminate harmful practices by 2030 requires accelerated effort. Evidence shows that progress is made in countries where there is economic development, poverty reduction and educational attainment for girls at the secondary level, and access to employment.
Reduce sexually transmitted infections
The number of new
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) annually among older adolescents (aged 15–19
years) is not declining nearly quickly enough to reach the 2030 SDG targets. In
2023, there were an estimated 1.9 million adolescent girls and young women aged
15–24 years living with HIV, compared to 1.2 million adolescent boys and young
men.
Young people (aged 15–24) bear the burden of
close to 30% of all new HIV infections globally, with girls and young women
(15–24) accounting for close to 60% of new infections among that age group.
Adolescents and young people belonging to
marginalized groups are disproportionately at risk of acquiring STIs and HIV.
Regressive laws can marginalize these groups and increase health risks.
Currently, 67 countries have laws criminalizing same-sex relationships, posing
a threat to the physical, emotional and social safety and well-being of LGBTQI+
populations.
Preventing STIs and HIV among adolescents requires that they are empowered to have safe sex and have access to information, education and methods of prevention that are provided in non-stigmatizing ways. Adolescent-responsive sexual and reproductive health services are essential. The meaningful engagement of adolescents and young people in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of health services and in decisions regarding their own care is key as an integral component of effective adolescent HIV care.
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has also been shown to improve uptake of condoms and reduce STIs. However, there has been a significant rise in opposition to the provision of CSE and efforts to ensure that adolescents have the knowledge and means to protect themselves, increasing the risk of both short and long-term health harms.
/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/youth-friendly-clinic-in-moldova.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=75d7a506_1 "Youth-friendly clinic in Moldova")
Urologist Dr Radu consults with a patient at the YK Neovita Centre in Chișinău, Moldova, on 23 June 2022.
/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/young-girls-in-brazil.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=d87fb85d_1 "Young girls in Brazil")
Using sport as a tool to reduce gender inequalities and develop self-esteem and life skills among adolescent girls.
End violence against adolescents
A quarter of adolescent girls (15–19 years) who have been in a relationship have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime – a figure largely unchanged in the last decade.
Almost one-third of young teens (11–17 years) worldwide have experienced bullying, with boys slightly more at risk of bullying in schools than girls.
Violence against adolescent girls is preventable but requires multi-sectoral action. RESPECT women, a WHO framework for policy makers, highlights the importance of economic empowerment, challenging social norms that condone violence, and school-based prevention strategies.
Life-skills interventions are also critical to help young people manage anger and conflict. INSPIRE, a WHO programme for ending violence against children, highlights the importance of whole-school approaches, as well as parenting support for positive and nurturing parent-child relationships.
Address the mental health crisis
Depression and anxiety are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
Globally, 1 in 7 young people aged 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group. Girls who are pregnant, who have experienced abuse, in early and forced marriages or who have been subjected to FGM are at even greater risk of mental health conditions.
Other factors contributing to adverse mental health include stress related to adversity, such as poverty and violence, food insecurity, conflict, forced migration, unemployment, gender inequality, peer pressure, isolation as well as quality of life at home and in relationships. Exposure to media including social media is increasingly having an impact on young people’s mental health.
Adolescents with mental health conditions should have access to age-appropriate early detection and treatment in communities, without over-medicalizing or institutionalizing them. Several settings, including schools, health facilities and recreational clubs, can deliver psychosocial support and training to strengthen adolescents’ capacity to regulate emotions, enhance alternatives to risk-taking behaviours, build resilience to manage adversity and promote supportive social networks with benefits that last throughout life.
Meaningful engagement of young people in designing services and advocacy, and supporting caregivers with parenting skills, are important aspects of multi-sectoral programmes for the promotion and protection of adolescents’ mental health.
/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/adolescent-group-discussing-health-and-wellbeing.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=c05b2cd4_1 "Adolescent group discussing health and wellbeing")
Led by local peer educators, these groups discuss a wide range of adolescent health and wellbeing issues, such as mental health, substance misuse, injuries and violence, nutrition, non-communicable diseases, and sexual and reproductive health.
/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-research-(srh)/nurse-midwife-counselling-young-girls.tmb-1920v.jpg?sfvrsn=87574c70_1 "Nurse midwife counselling young girls")
At an anganwadi center (government-run daycare center) in Patahi Village of Mushahari Block, Poonam, an auxiliary nurse midwife, counsels Pooja and other young girls from the community on reproductive health and nutrition.
Promote healthy nutrition among adolescents
Problems from both under-nutrition and over-nutrition in adolescence can have life-long consequences. Healthy eating habits promoted during this period have the potential to avert noncommunicable diseases later in life.
Micronutrient deficiencies are a key nutritional challenge faced by adolescents. For example, anaemia among adolescent girls, coupled with high rates of adolescent pregnancy, can have consequences for their own health and extend to the health of children they may have.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents has risen dramatically, particularly in the last decade. Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents are overweight, the same figure for boys and girls.
Being overweight in adolescence affects immediate and future health, with risk of early onset of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Adolescents with obesity are also more likely to experience depression, face stigma and discrimination and bullying, and have their school performance affected.
Obesity prevention and management among adolescents requires supporting healthy eating, physical activity, sleeping habits, limiting screen time and consumption of sugar. Restrictions on selling of alcohol and tobacco and marketing of foods high in sugars, salt and fats to teenagers can promote healthy nutrition.
Adolescents today must navigate critical transitions in their health and development in a world facing a distressing combination of crises. Climate change, humanitarian emergencies, changing demographics and rising inequalities, as well as a backlash against gender equality and human rights, threaten to overwhelm their future prospects.
For further information:
Watch our new film “Investing in our future: The health of adolescents”
Learn more about the work of WHO:
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights
Adolescent and young adult health
Page published on 11 October 2024