As the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fast approaches, a grim reality emerges: today바카라s adolescents are at the crossroads.
The Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing lays bare a future fraught with risks바카라rising obesity, mental health disorders, preventable diseases, gender disparities, climate change, and political instability바카라all converging to threaten the lives of more than 1 billion adolescents worldwide.
Based on the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study, the report warns that by 2030, 464 million adolescents will be overweight or obese given the easy access to ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, and tobacco/e-cigarettes continues to be a major concern despite declining tobacco/alcohol use. Commercial influences continue to threaten adolescent wellbeing unabated, noted the report.
The analysis further reveals that half of the world바카라s adolescents (approx. 1 billion aged 10바카라24) will live in countries where they face complex, preventable health burdens바카라including HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, unsafe sex, poor nutrition, depression, and injuries.
More concerning is that around 42 million years of healthy life are projected to be lost due to mental disorders and suicides among adolescents by 2030.
Raising alarms, the report flags concern that by 2030, one-third of female adolescents will be out of school or jobless, reflecting deep-rooted gender inequalities.
The agony will not end here. The climate crisis is accelerating. This is the first generation that will live their entire lives under the shadow of climate change, with projections suggesting a 2.8°C rise in global temperatures by 2100바카라far exceeding the 1.5°C target and putting adolescents at risk of natural disasters, hunger, displacement, and psychological trauma.
Rising geopolitical tensions and wars will contribute to increased refugee populations, disrupting access to education, healthcare, and stability for adolescents, said the report.
While South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have shown relative improvement, they still carry the highest burden due to historically poor conditions.
At the same time, Latin America, Middle East, and high-income countries are facing a rising crisis of adolescent obesity and non-communicable diseases.
In a wakeup call, the report points out that even as adolescents form 25.2% of the world population, yet only 2.4% of development health aid (2016바카라21) was directed toward them.
Recent withdrawals of aid by major donors like the US and UK have worsened the funding gap, said the report even as it called for increased investment to the level to match the urgency and scale of adolescent health issues.
Also, investments must be well-targeted and evidence-based so as to ensure youth-specific healthcare services are available and accessible, especially in low-income countries, said the authors of the study.
The report has also called for strengthen efforts to counter gender-based violence as well as expand sexual and reproductive health services with a focus on inclusivity and access for all genders.
Adolescents are not just the future바카라they are a quarter of the present. Neglecting their needs risks a domino effect of health, economic, and social crises. The report is a call to re-prioritize global development efforts, recognize adolescents as a pivotal demographic, and act before 2030 to avert a generational health disaster, noted the authors.
Investments in the current generation of 10바카라24-year-olds will reap a triple dividend, with benefits for young people today, the adults they will become, and the next generation of children they will parent. These potential benefits are particularly relevant for Africa and Asia, where around 82% of the world's adolescents currently live, a proportion that is projected to rise to 85% by 2100.
Prof Sarah Baird, from George Washington University in the US and co-chair of the Lancet commission, said: 바카라The health and wellbeing of adolescents worldwide is at a tipping point 바카라Š Investing in the health and wellbeing of young people is crucial for safeguarding our collective future.바카라
The report concluded: 바카라Without political will, policy initiatives and financial investment 바카라Š large numbers of adolescents will grow up with poor health.바카라
When contacted, Dr. R.P. Beniwal, Professor of Psychiatry at the ABVIMS -Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi termed the Lancer report observations as a warning signal.
Teenagers today are increasingly vulnerable to mental health disorders, driven by a complex mix of academic pressure, social expectations, and family dynamics. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, and disruptive behaviour disorders are alarmingly prevalent among adolescents. In addition, issues like substance abuse and self-harm continue to rise, he noted
바카라It is time to focus our attention on them,바카라 Dr. Beniwal said, stressing the urgency of addressing the psychological needs of young people before the situation worsens.
