Risks and Opportunities Synthesis of Studies on Adolescence (1999) / Chapter Skim
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4 Addressing Challenges and Promoting the Healthy Development of Adolescents
4 Addressing Challenges and Promoting the Healthy Development of Adolescents
Pages 30-42
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From page 30... ...
As mentioned earlier, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that six categories of behavior are responsible for 70 percent of adolescent mortality and morbidity: unintentional and intentional injuries, drug and alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies, diseases associated with tobacco use, illnesses resulting from inadequate physical activity, and health problems due to inadequate dietary patterns.
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From page 31... ...
But just as adolescence is a time when damaging patterns of behavior can begin to take hold, it also represents an excellent opportunity for the formation of healthful practices. SEXUAL RISK, UNINTENDED PREGNANCY, AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES A large proportion of adolescents in the United States are engaging in sexual activity and at earlier ages than before, often without the knowledge or skills required to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
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From page 32... ...
Among the most important of these are individual characteristics, such as puberty and other developmental characteristics, age, race and socioeconomic status, religiousness, intelligence and academic achievement, and dating behavior; family characteristics, such as family background and parental support and controls; and the influence of peer groups. Thus, although there appears to be a strong relationship between pubertal development, hormone levels, and sexual activity, social factors do intervene in determining when and how both boys and girls initiate .
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From page 33... ...
Networks are placed at risk because individual members of one network may have connections to other networks. Increasingly, adolescents are also believed to be at increasing risk for early initiation of sexual intercourse, unprotected sexual intercourse, unintended pregnancy, and infection with sexually transmitted diseases, because they are exposed to mixed and inconsistent messages from their families, their peers, the community, and the mass media regarding what is expected, appropriate, and socially desirable behavior.
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From page 34... ...
One study found an association between frequent viewing of television programs with strong sexual content and the early onset of sexual intercourse among adolescents, but it was not possible to determine the direction of causation. Another study that examined the influence of mass media on eight potentially risky behaviors, including sexual intercourse, found that adolescents who had engaged in more risky behaviors listened to radio and watched music videos and movies on television more frequently than those who had engaged in fewer risky behaviors, independent of demographic factors.
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From page 35... ...
and encourage them to protect themselves through condom use. Indeed, comprehensive public health messages regarding sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection, sexual abuse, and unintended pregnancy, have already shown promise for reducing these risks among adolescents and young adults.
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From page 36... ...
11S age group in some circumstances. Of the many risks associated with early sexual activity, unintended pregnancy and infection with sexually transmitted diseases is perhaps the most widespread.
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From page 37... ...
Although much public attention has been given to the growing number of births to unmarried women and to teenage pregnancies, it is only recently that attention has focused on adolescent fathers. Teenage fathers are more likely to come from an economically disadvantaged family and to have completed fewer years of schooling than their childless peers.
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From page 38... ...
TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, AND ILLICIT DRUGS Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of avoidable death in the United States. Most smokers begin smoking during childhood and adolescence, with nicotine addiction beginning during the first few years of tobacco use.
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From page 39... ...
They include positive attitudes toward alcohol and other drug use, rebelliousness, tolerance of deviant behavior, low school achievement, lower expectations about academic achievement, and greater opposition to authority. It has also been found that alcohol and other drug abuse and mental health problems often occur simultaneously.
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From page 40... ...
Living in a community with high rates of crime, ready availability of drugs, association with delinquent peers, and acceptance of drug use and abuse are all associated with drug abuse. The larger sociocultural environment also plays a part: alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs are frequently reported by news media as having been used by sports and entertainment figures.
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From page 41... ...
Of course, adolescent abusers usually have a shorter history of drug abuse; have less severe symptoms of tolerance, craving, and withdrawal; and usually do not have the long-term physical effects of drug abuse. They are, however, at great risk for developing lifelong patterns of drug abuse, which could in turn result in a constellation of negative physical, psychological, and social consequences.
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From page 42... ...
Growing Up Tobacco Free: Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youth (1994) The Hidden EpidLemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (1997)
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