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Health Topics
CDC addresses six critical types of adolescent health behavior that
research shows contribute to the leading causes of death and disability
among adults and youth. Emerging health issues that affect children and
adolescents are also addressed.
Six Critical Health Behaviors
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Alcohol & Drug Use
Alcohol and other drug use is a factor in approximately 41% of all deaths from
motor vehicle crashes.
- Injury
& Violence (including suicide)
Injury and violence is the leading cause of death among youth aged 5–19:
motor vehicle crashes (31% of all deaths), all other unintentional
injuries (12%), homicide (15%), and suicide (12%).
- Tobacco Use
Every day about 4,000 American youth aged 12–17 try their first cigarette.
It is estimated that smoking causes 435,000 deaths each year in the United
States.
- Nutrition
Almost 80% of young people do not eat the recommended servings of fruits
and vegetables. Nearly 9 million youth in the U.S. aged 6–19 are
overweight.
- Physical Activity
Participation in physical activity declines as children get older. Nearly
70% of 9th graders but only 55% of 12th graders
participated in sufficient vigorous physical activity on a regular basis.
- Sexual Behaviors
Each year, there are approximately 15 million new STD cases in the U.S.,
and about 1/4 of these are among teenagers. Additionally, almost 900,000
adolescents under the age of 19 become pregnant every year.
These behaviors usually are established during childhood, persist into
adulthood, are inter-related, and are preventable. In addition to causing
serious health problems, these behaviors also contribute to the educational
and social problems that confront the nation, including failure to complete
high school, unemployment, and crime.
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Emerging Health Topics
Asthma
On average, in a classroom of 30 children, about three are likely to have
asthma. Over 6 million children under 18 years of age are reported to
currently have asthma, and asthma is one of the leading causes of school
absenteeism.
Food Safety
Educating students, families, and school staff on simple but effective food
safety measures can help prevent the approximately 76 million cases of
foodborne illness that are reported in the United States annually, resulting
in an average of 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Food safety is
especially important in schools, because each day more than 27 million
children get their lunch through the National School Lunch Program.
Furthermore, educating students in school about food safety can help them
build good food safety habits that last a lifetime.
Skin Cancer
The most common form of cancer in the United States is skin cancer — and
more than one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in 2002.
Skin cancer is a preventable disease, as exposure to the sun's ultraviolet
rays appears to be the most important environmental factor. Schools are in a
good position to encourage children to develop sun protection habits.
Terrorism
This is a complex issue that requires preparedness planning and training
before emergencies. Hopefully, there will never be a terrorist attack at or
near a school. However, should an event or threat occur or be suspected,
every staff member should know how to respond based on protocols, or
community-based plans, established in advance in collaboration with public
health and first responder agencies.
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