A Report on Adolescent Health has been recently released by the second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing.

Key Highlights of the Report

• Objective: To focus on accelerating the implementation of the first Commission’s recommendations towards the Sustainable Development Goals and realise the triple dividend ie.
  • Investment in the current generation of 10–24-year-olds will benefit today’s adolescents, the adults they will become, and their children.
• Findings:
  • Insufficient Funding: The funding for adolescent health and wellbeing is not sufficient to the magnitude of the challenges faced by them and is not targeted to the areas of greatest need.
    • Example: Specific funding for adolescent health accounted for only 2·4% of total development assistance for health in 2016–21, despite adolescents accounting for 25·2% of the world population.
  • At least half of the world’s adolescents (1 billion people) may live in multi-burden countries where adolescents experience a complex and excess burden of disease by the end of 2030. 
    • Example: An estimated 340 million (18%) adolescents now live in conflict-affected areas, doubling since the 1990s.
  • Obesity Burden: By 2030, 464 million adolescents globally will be overweight or obese (143 million more than in 2015).
    • A third of adolescents living in high-income countries, Latin America, and the Middle East will be living with overweight or obesity.
  • Mental Health Challenges:  42 million years of health life will be lost to mental disorders or suicide (2 million more than in 2015). 
  • Social Media Penetration: Globally, 79% of 15–24-year-olds use the internet and more than 95% of adolescents in high-income and upper-middle-income countries are digitally connected.
    • The present generation of Adolescents (15-24 years) are called the ‘first global generation of digital natives’.
  • Climate Change Effects: By 2100, 1·8 billion adolescents will live in a world that is about 2·8°C warmer than in pre-industrial times.
  • Achievements: Adolescent mortality has declined by 27% over the last two decades, owing to substantial reductions in malnutrition and communicable diseases, and expanded access to education especially for girls.
• Recommendation:
  • Rights Based Approach: There needs to be an emphasis on the rights of adolescents to health and wellbeing by promoting their participation, identity expression, and service access.
  • Policy Focus: The report calls for enabling laws and policies to protect adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights and reduce the impact of the commercial determinants of health on them.
    • Example: Schools in India will now constitute ‘sugar boards’ to monitor the sugar intake of children.
  • To promote the healthy and informed use of social media and online spaces.
  • Multisectoral Actions: Promote multisectoral actions on mental health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, and violence to amplify gains made in adolescent health. 
  • Promote Equality: Confront systemic inequities related to gender, race, and geography, ensuring equal opportunities and targeted support for disadvantaged groups.
  • Improvement in Data Systems: Better indicators and improvement in data systems at the national and global level are required to monitor systemic changes in health and wellbeing outcomes
    • Example: WHO has launched the Global Action for the Measurement of Adolescent Health to close critical data gaps and strengthen accountability