Adolescent Reproductive Health

 

Introduction:

•      World Health Organization defines adolescents as individuals between 10 and 19 years of age.

•      “Youth" and “young” encompass the 15 to 24 year-old and 10 to 24 year-old age groups, respectively.

•      For girls, puberty is a process generally marked by the production of estrogen, the growth of breasts, the appearance of pubic hair, the growth of external genitals, and the start of menstruation.

•      For boys, it is marked by the production of testosterone, the enlargement of testes and penis, a deepening of the voice and a growth spurt.

Why Focus on Young People?

q Young people constitute a large and growing segment of the population.

–    At the turn of 21^st century 1.7 billion people were between the ages of 10 and 24yrs.

      – 86% of these live in less developed countries.

–    In Ethiopia, young people age 10-24 yrs constitute more  than a third of the population.

q Certain health problems (like STIs and HIV) are more prevalent in this age group

q Behaviors starting in adolescence frequently lead to health problems.

q Able to bring tremendous dividends that play a vital role in their family and to the society as a whole.

q A base for economic development of a given society.

`Global Youth Today

•      The current generation of young people is the healthiest, most educated, and most urbanized in history.

•      However, there is still remain some serious concerns:

 Education:

•      Despite increasing attention given worldwide to education, 121 million children worldwide are out of school, with 9 million more girls than boys.

•      The gap between boys’ and girls’ enrollment is most apparent at the secondary level.

•      Youth with low levels of education experience severely limited future prospects for economic self-sufficiency.

•      Educating girls is essential for reducing child mortality, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases.

•      Furthermore, educated women will most likely have healthy children who will complete schooling.

•      Research have shown that educated women have greater control of their reproductive lives, such as decisions about the number and spacing of their children.

Sexuality:

•      Globally, most people become sexually active during adolescence.

•     Premarital sexual activity is common and is on the rise worldwide.

 To be continue......