title: Adolescent health: a Middle East and North African perspective.
abstract: Adolescence is a period of physical, psychological and social transition from childhood to adulthood. At present there are 95 million young people aged between 10 and 24 years in the Middle East and North Africa. Female education is increasing in these regions, but secondary school enrollment rates for girls lag behind those of their male counterparts. Average age at first marriage varies between 17.9 and 24.3 years, but teenage marriage is quite common. Total fertility rates are higher than the world average. Pregnancy at an early age often translates into a high fertility rate and high risks for women and their children. Female children's share of food, health care, work options and general care is often less than that of boys, because they are perceived to be less valuable than boys in some countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Hacettepe University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozcebe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000352:Africa, Northern / Q000453:epidemiology; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D004493:Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008877:Middle East / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology