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Summary
As a teenager, you go through many changes. Your body is on its way to becoming its adult size. You may notice that you can't fit into your old shoes or that your jeans are now 3 inches too short. Along with these changes, you are probably becoming more independent and making more of your own choices. Some of the biggest choices you face are about your health.
Healthy habits, including eating a healthy diet and being physically active, can help you feel good, look good, and do your best in school, work, or sports. They might also prevent diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke, and some cancers when you are older.
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Vaccinations for Preteens and Teens, Age 11-19 Years (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Vaccines for Your Children: Protect Your Child at Every Age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Why Should I Care about Germs? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Talking to Your Doctor (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
-
Time to Talk: 5 Tips on Safety of Mind and Body Practices for Children and Teens
(National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
- Understanding Medications and What They Do (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- What Is an Adolescent Health Specialist? (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Related Issues
- Annual Check-up (Children's Hospital Boston)
- Are Steroids Worth the Risk? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Body Image and Self-Esteem (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Choosing a Primary Health Care Provider (PCP): A Guide for Young Men (Children's Hospital Boston)
- Choosing a Primary Health Care Provider (PCP): A Guide for Young Women (Children's Hospital Boston)
- Compulsive Exercise (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Dealing with a Health Condition (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Guy's Guide to Body Image (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Gyn Checkups (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Hygiene Basics (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Should I Gain Weight? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Teens and Stress: Who Has Time for It? (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Testicular Exams (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Transitions: A Guide to Teens Getting Older and Changing Health Care Providers (Children's Hospital Boston)
- What's the Right Weight for My Height? (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Your Feelings (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Your First Gynecologic Visit (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Your First Pelvic Exam: A Guide for Teens (Children's Hospital Boston) Also in Spanish
Specifics
-
Charge Up! Healthy Meals and Snacks for Teens
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Female Athlete Triad (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- How Much Sleep Do I Need? (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Nutrition (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Shaving (Children's Hospital Boston)
-
Smoking and Youth: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
-
Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Also in Spanish
- Tanning (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Tanning (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
-
Teen Sexual Health: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
- Types of Cancer Teens Get (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
-
Underage Drinking: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
Health Check Tools
- Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- How's Your Self-Esteem? (Quiz) (Nemours Foundation)
Statistics and Research
- Adolescents: Health Risks and Solutions (World Health Organization)
- America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics)
- FastStats: Adolescent Health (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Adolescent Health
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
-
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Also in Spanish
- Find a Pediatrician or Pediatric Specialist (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
Teenagers
- When To Let Your Teenager Start Dating (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Teenagers and sleep (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish