All articles tagged with #adolescent health
Recent large-scale studies show that early smartphone use and heavy social media engagement are linked to negative effects on teens, including poor sleep, obesity, cognitive decline, and mental health issues, prompting countries like Australia to ban social media for under-16s and encouraging parents to delay giving phones to children for better well-being.
Recent large-scale studies show that early smartphone use and heavy social media engagement are linked to negative effects on teens, including poor sleep, obesity, cognitive decline, and mental health issues, prompting countries like Australia to ban social media for under-16s and encouraging parents to delay giving phones to children for better well-being.
New research from the University of Michigan highlights a significant increase in flavored marijuana vape use among US teens, raising concerns about addiction, health risks, and environmental damage, prompting calls for stricter regulations and educational campaigns to curb this trend.
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that a record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022, primarily due to fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills. The death rate for drug overdoses among teens has more than doubled since 2018, with at least 75% of adolescent drug overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl poisonings. The trend has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Arizona, Colorado, and Washington identified as hotspot states. Experts recommend discussing the dangers of counterfeit pills with teens and keeping overdose reversal medicine readily available at home, while also emphasizing frank conversations about risk reduction strategies for those experimenting with drugs.
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that a record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022, primarily due to fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills. The death rate for drug overdoses among teens has more than doubled since 2018, with at least 75% of adolescent drug overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl poisonings. Experts recommend that parents discuss the dangers of counterfeit pills with their teens and keep overdose reversal medicine readily available at home, while also emphasizing the importance of staying drug-free and having frank conversations about risk reduction strategies for those experimenting with drugs.
A study conducted by researchers from King's College London has found that there are sex-specific differences in the inflammatory proteins associated with depression in adolescents. Elevated levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) were linked to increased depression risk and severity in boys, while higher levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were associated with depression severity in girls. The findings highlight the importance of personalized treatments based on biological sex and could contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying depression in adolescence.
Researchers at UC San Francisco have found that promoting appropriate sleep patterns in teenagers, particularly those with depression, can help improve their symptoms. The study focused on "night owls," adolescents who naturally stay up late, and found that teaching them to structure their lives to sleep as late as possible while gradually adjusting their sleep schedule led to a significant reduction in depression symptoms. This intervention, called the Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention (TransS-C), proved more effective than educational sessions on leading a healthy lifestyle. A larger study is being funded to further explore the benefits of sleep-wake therapy for teens with depression.
A longitudinal study in Canada found that girls who spent more time on the internet at ages 13 and 15 were more likely to experience depressive symptoms at ages 15 and 17, respectively. The study did not find the same association in boys. Depression is a significant mental health disorder that can have long-term effects on individuals, and adolescence is a critical period for mental health. The study highlights the need for further research on the relationship between internet use and depression, particularly among girls. However, the study's limitations include relying on self-reported internet use and focusing on a specific region and language group.
A study from the University of California, Irvine reveals that adolescent exposure to low-dose THC, a component of cannabis, can disrupt energy balance and fat storage processes in adulthood, resulting in a leaner body and reduced risk of obesity and diabetes. However, this altered process impairs the ability to mobilize stored nutrients, potentially affecting physical activity and cognitive functions. The study found that fat cells exposed to THC produce muscle proteins, interfering with their ability to store and release nutrients. These findings highlight the long-term consequences of cannabis use during adolescence on physical and mental health.
Endometriosis, a painful and incurable disease that affects roughly 10% of women and girls worldwide, is often dismissed as menstrual cramps in adolescents. A lack of awareness, education, and research about endometriosis among adolescents often results in delayed diagnosis and has made it difficult to know how common endometriosis is in teens. Many myths surrounding endometriosis are slowing fading, but some persist, including that endometriosis does not usually affect women of color. Treatment options include medication, hormonal therapy, and surgical options.
A new report by the CDC shows that while there has been a decline in emergency department visits for mental health conditions, suicide-related behaviors, and drug overdoses among adolescents, poor mental health remains a substantial public health problem, especially among teen girls. Emergency department visits for mental and behavioral health remained at or higher than pre-pandemic baseline levels for teen girls, and rates remained significantly higher among adolescent girls compared with adolescent boys. Health experts recommend evidence-based, comprehensive prevention efforts and trauma-informed interventions to support the mental health of adolescents.
A study across 18 countries found that intense social media use by adolescents is linked to poor sleep patterns, including reduced sleep hours, delayed bedtime, and increased social jetlag. The research suggests that social media use by adolescents may be a global concern that should become a priority of international public health efforts. The study analyzed various levels of digital media use, ranging from nonactive to problematic, and found that both intense and problematic social media use were linked to sleep-related issues. However, regular online interaction with others and non-problematic social media use have only minor effects on sleep patterns compared to nonactive social media use in most countries.
Boys and young men are increasingly risking their overall health by bulking up to the point of obsession, fueled by social media and a lucrative, unregulated supplements industry. A third of teenage boys reported trying to gain weight, and about 22% of teen boys and young men are engaging in some sort of muscle-building behavior. The red flag is when exercise or food choices lead to preoccupations or obsessions with appearance, body size, weight or exercise in a way that worsens their quality of life. The use of muscle-building supplements is pervasive, with more than half of boys and men in adolescence through early adulthood taking protein powder or shakes.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) marks its 75th anniversary, global health specialists suggest new initiatives for the organization to adopt. These include focusing on adolescent health, increasing trust in WHO, considering the ethics of health, protecting the environment through the One Health approach, reducing bureaucracy for faster response times, giving WHO more autonomy to respond to disasters, paying attention to long COVID, and identifying the most vulnerable populations to act as their voice and champion.
Adolescents who report strong relationships with their parents have better long-term health outcomes, according to a study by researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The study found that investments in improving parent-adolescent relationships could help improve general health, mental health, and sexual health while also reducing substance use in young adulthood. The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and found that characteristics such as reported parental warmth, communication, time together, and academic expectations were linked to health outcomes measured 14 years later.