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VOL. 5 • NO. 3
© January 2011
Adolescent Health: Youthful decisions impact future quality of life — sometimes for the better It’s not only physical changes that mark Robertho Gay is a 16-year-old junior at this period of life. Teens experience psychoCodman Academy Charter Public School. He logical, behavioral, emotional and personality gets up at 4 a.m. to hit the gym before school, changes as well, some of which evoke a hefty and his extracurricular activities and homework toll. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance keep him up later than he’d like. But he’s not re(YRBS), a survey of students in grades 9 to 12, ally worried about his schedule. “Not a lot really examines six health-risk behaviors — injuries bothers me,” he said. and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and drug use, Robertho has his sights on a career in busisexual behaviors, dietary behavior and physical ness, but for now nutrition holds his interest. He’s inactivity — that significantly impact the quality a member of the Academy’s Nutrition Action of life. The survey is conducted by the Centers Club in which a group of students meet regularly for Disease Control and Prevention as well as to discuss health, fitness and nutrition to promote state and local education and health agencies. a healthy lifestyle. He confided that he actually The reason for the survey is clear. Accordjoined the club to learn how to cook. ing to the National Center for Health Statistics, But he got a little more than he bargained for. 84 percent of deaths in youth ages 11 to 19 in Not only has he learned that roasting chicken is this country results from injuries and violence. more healthy than frying it, he got an eye-opener What’s worse, one additional risk behavior on risks of certain illnesses — risks closely linked — alcohol and drug use — often contributes to to nutrition. “I learned about the risks of high these deaths. blood pressure, a heart attack and stroke,” he said. Often lost in the discussion of healthy teens If only all teenagers were as curious as is the subject of healthy bones. Dr. Catherine Robertho. Adolescence, which straddles childM. Gordon, the director of the Bone Health hood and adulthood, is a period of change — and Program at Children’s Hospital Boston, admits confusion. The adolescent is neither a child nor that bone health might not be the sexiest of an adult. And the decisions and choices made topics, but this relatively new area of focus during this period of major transition can have an Robertho Gay, 16, credits the student-led Nutrition Action Club at Codman Academy Charter in pediatrics is gaining momentum. With a everlasting impact. The medical conditions common in teens are Public School for his understanding of healthy eating and risk factors. (Ernesto Arroyo photo) combined training in adolescent medicine and endocrinology, Gordon ticks off the diagnoses she many — asthma, sexually transmitted diseases and major growth and transition. “It is when young people establish treats — anorexia, cystic fibrosis and both vitamin reproductive problems — to name a few. Obesity, D deficiency and insufficiency — a plight all too common in health habits,” said Emans. “Patterns can be set at 10 or 12.” the precursor to cardiovascular and other diseases, is becoming Puberty starts the whole process in motion. There’s a really African American teens. more prevalent in youth. A recent study published in the Journal Bone health may not be the topic of conversation, but of the American Medical Association reported that across the perhaps it should be. “About half of the skeleton is laid down in country, more than one third of adolescents between the ages of The Center for Young Women’s Health the teenage years,” said Gordon. “Hormones cause bones to be12 and 19 were overweight or obese. come denser,” she said, referring to the amount of calcium and When asked to define the age of adolescence, Dr. S. www.youngwomenshealth.org other minerals and protein packed in bones. People reach their Jean Emans, chief of the Division of Adolescent and Young Young Men’s Health peak bone mass — the amount of bony tissue present when the Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston, did not have skeleton completes maturation — around the age of 20. a ready answer. “That’s a good question,” she said. “There www.youngmenshealthsite.org There’s one catch though. If a person fails to reach peak isn’t one answer.” bone mass during adolescence, there’s no catch-up period. The She’s right about that. Often young adults are included missed opportunity can remain silent for 30 to 40 years until a fast growth spurt; some grow four or more inches in a year. In in the mix. The age delineations vary by organization and can person trips and falls and breaks a hip. Or sneezes and fractures males, the voice changes, the shoulders broaden, muscles derange anywhere from 10 to 24 years — the definition used by a bone in the back. velop and facial hair emerges. Females develop breasts, become the U.S. Department of Health Human Services. What everyone a bit curvier and begin monthly menstrual cycles. does agree on is the challenge that accompanies this period of Gay, continued to page 4
Marching toward a healthier beat In many ways, Terrance Miles, 18, is a typical teenager — he has a set of headphones seemingly glued to his head. “I listen every chance I get,” he says, “on my way to school, on my way home from school, on my way to work.” But in listening to an eclectic list of musicians — everyone from Eric B and Rakim to Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco — Miles says he came to a not-so surprising conclusion: a lot of the lyrics are in bad taste and promote unhealthy lifestyles and relationships. So significant is the impact of music on risk behaviors that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2009 took a stand and developed a policy statement to make pediatricians and parents aware of music’s influence on children and youth. According to the AAP, a staggering 42 percent of songs on the top 10 CDs contain very explicit sexual content. Furthermore,
some types of music in particular — rap, rock and heavy metal — often revolve around sexual promiscuity, death, homicide, suicide and substance abuse, all risk factors relating to high mortality rates in adolescents. The AAP has a lot of support. The Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston researches the impact of media on children’s health. The Boston Public Health Commission’s Start Strong Initiative not only educates teens about healthy relationships, it has developed a tool to analyze the “health” of lyrics. Like many health-conscious teenagers, Miles decided to do something and recently became a mentor for the Initiative. “I hope it has an effect,” he said. At first, he explained, he did not put that much stock in the theory that lyrics could have that sort of impact. They had little Miles, continued to page 4
Terrance Miles (right) is shown (from left to right) with Haxin Zeng, a Start Strong Initiative peer leader, U.S. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia and Cherri Allison, the executive director of the Family Violence Law Center in Oakland, Calif. The group attended a Start Strong national meeting in Washington, D.C., which focused on violence prevention. (Photo courtesy of Start Strong Initiative)