Health promotion of adolescents.
China has been making progress in adolescence health care, carrying out directed investigations and academic exchanges, as well as training. Since 1949, both growth and development of Chinese children and adolescents have accelerated significantly. Menarche and the secondary sex characteristics of girls now appear earlier than before. The average age of menarche is 12.5 years (1991) and boys average first emission is 14.33 years (1991). In China, the commonly encountered adolescent health problems are menstruation hygiene, menstruation dysfunction, emission, masturbation, teenage pregnancy, acne, obesity, smoking, alcohol drinking, drug abuse, and suicide. Causes of death of adolescents in China has significantly changed, all deaths caused by infectious diseases have dropped significantly. Of all death causes today, accidental injury is the leading one. Sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis have shown a rebound recently. The rate of smoking among middle school students in Beijing increased from the 1980s to 1990s, with male students' smoking at significantly higher rates than female students. Adolescents is a transitional period from dependent childhood to independent adulthood. Good physical and mental health of children and adolescents makes for good health in adulthood, therefore adolescence is a very important period in one's life. We need to go a step further and develop more detailed data on adolescent health and provide more health care for adolescents.
Ye
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Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, Beijing Medical University, P. R. China.
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking