title: Global trends in adolescent health.
abstract: Increasingly, morbidity and mortality trends for young people in developing nations are paralleling those in the industrialized world. As infectious causes of mortality diminish, unintentional injuries, suicide, homicide, war, and maternal mortality represent the primary causes of death in the second decade of life for most nations where data are maintained. As developing nations increasingly place priority on the education of their youth, early marriage and precocious child rearing are discouraged, and other problems, such as out-of-wedlock childbirth and illicit abortions, emerge. Problems such as substance abuse and suicide arise with the urban migration, increased unemployment, and disruption of traditional social structures that are experienced as developing countries industrialize.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic, Minneapolis 55455.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Blum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D011247:Pregnancy; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data