One out of five adolescents in the world is from India. To deliberate various issues challenging this sizable population of 253 million in the country as also 1.2 billion adolescents in the world, experts from across the world will gather here at the three-day World Health Congress being held in India for the first time from Friday.
“The mortality rates among neonates and child mortality have come down but adolescent mortality rates are showing an increasing trend though most of these are preventable causes such as self-harm and injuries.
“It is indeed heartening to know that the Governments have started appreciating the issues of the adolescents such as education, behaviour change, smoking, drinking, and mental health which have roots in adolescence but impact the later life,” said David Ross from the World Health Organisation (WHO) at a Press conference here ahead of the International Association for Adolescent Health 11th World Congress on Adolescent Health, ‘Investing in Adolescent Health — the Future is Now.’
It is increasingly being felt that Governments have a responsibility towards the adolescents and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without focusing on adolescent health for a life-cycle approach to health.
World-over, the mortality of adolescents stands at a staggering 1.5 million deaths per year. Unintended injuries such as road traffic accidents and drowning are the leading causes of death among adolescents, together with self-harm, interpersonal violence, communicable diseases and teenage pregnancy.
Tobacco, alcohol and other substance are associated with unemployment, accidents, depression and suicide during adolescence. For example, over half of new HIV cases occur in adolescents, and more than 2 million adolescents are living with HIV. Addressing the global HIV epidemic - and other key global health agendas, will not be achieved without attending better to adolescent health and wellbeing.
Professor Susan Sawyer, President, International Association for Adolescent Health, said: “India has been chosen as the venue for the conference as it has the largest number of adolescents in the world. Policies in India are changing in favor of adolescent.
Dr Sunil Mehra from MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, echoed similar sentiments: “It is an appropriate time to choose India as the venue for the conference since the country is faced with challenges such as early marriage, early pregnancies, malnutrition and obesity and violence.”
Sushma Dureja, Deputy Commissioner (Adolescent Health), Health Ministry and Dr V Chandra-Mouli, from the WHO respectively talked about the India’s National Adolescent Health Programme (Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram) and need to focus on the adolescents’ all-round growth.
Over 800 delegates from 65 countries across the world will participate in sessions themed ‘Global adolescent health: Opportunities and challenges’, ‘Programming for adolescent health in India: RKSK and beyond’, ‘Toward a gendered approach to adolescent health’, ‘Mental health and adolescents’, ‘Early Adolescent Health and Development in low and Middle-Income Countries’, ‘Social Media, Sexting, Addiction, Oh My! Adolescent Health in the Digital Age’, and more.