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Teens and Young Adults

From the onset of puberty until a boy enters adulthood in his early 20s, his body and mind undergo many changes. How teen boys deal with these changes can affect their health — both in the moment and long term. With greater independence, they face choices in areas such as driving habits, substance use, sexuality, physical activity, nutrition, and use of health care services. Making smart choices matters. Consider these facts, some which can have lasting impact into adulthood:

Most teen and young adult deaths could have been prevented. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for 10 to 24 year-old males, and suicide is the third.

Alcohol and drug use rates are very high among young adult men. Teens and young adults are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex, when they have been drinking or using drugs.

Almost half of high school boys in the United States report having been in a physical fight in the past year. Violence affects young adult African American men at very high rates.

The younger people begin smoking, the more likely they are to become addicted to nicotine. And the rate of smokeless tobacco use among 12 to 17-year-old males climbed 30 percent this decade.

The number of overweight teens has more than tripled in the past 20 years. Overweight children and teens are at risk for health problems, including diabetes, during their youth and as adults.

Each year, about 19 million new sexually transmitted infections are reported, and almost half of them are among 15 to 24 year-olds.

A sizable portion of young adult men face mental health problems. But these problems often are overlooked and not treated. The most common disorders among teens and young adults include depression, anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, and substance use disorder.

Most U.S. teens don’t get the preventive health care they need. Well visits (seeing the doctor when you’re not sick) give doctors a chance to talk to teens about good health habits and risky behaviors, which could lead to long-term health problems. Routine checkups also are a good time to ask about vaccines or discuss problems at school.

If you are a teen or young adult male, use the resources in this section to learn how to take better care of your health and make smart choices.

If you are a parent or parent figure to a teen boy, your presence really matters. Teen boys need your love, guidance, and support each day to help them become healthy, confident, and capable young men. You can help your son through these years. Build a relationship with him that includes trust, honesty, open lines of communication, and setting limits.

Additional Resources

Publications

Healthy Youth! Sexual Risk Behaviors — This fact sheet provides statistics on young adults, their sexual behaviors, occurrences of sexually transmitted infections and numbers of those infected with HIV. There are also resources for state and local programs listed on the Web site for further information on priority health risks among youth.

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/index.htm

Take Charge of Your Health: A Teenager's Guide to Better Health — This booklet explains the importance of better health for teenagers. It gives tips on how to stay active and eat healthy.

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/take_charge.htm

Tips for Teens With Diabetes: What Is Diabetes? — This collection of tip sheets provides useful information about diabetes and encourages teens to take action to manage their disease for a long and healthy life.

http://ndep.nih.gov/publications/PublicationDetail.aspx?PubId=98

About Overweight and Obesity (Copyright © Nemours Foundation) — In this fact sheet, you'll find information on some common health concerns that go with being overweight. You'll also find tips on what teens can do to manage weight in a healthy way.

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/obesity/obesity_overweight.html...

http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/index.html

http://www.youngmenshealthsite.org/by_topic.html

Hygiene Basics (Copyright © Nemours Foundation) — This fact sheet provides information about what body changes you can expect when going through puberty and how you can deal with them. Topics include oily skin, sweat, and body hair.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/hygiene_basics.html

http://kids.jdrf.org/

Male Reproductive System (Copyright © Nemours Foundation) — This publication provides an overview of the male reproductive system. A brief description of the function of the organs is provided as well as information on disorders of the male reproductive system.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/changing_body/male_repro.html

http://teenshealth.org/teen/safety/

Teen Q & A: Health Care for College Students (Copyright © AAP) — This fact sheet discusses some common illnesses and infections that spread on college campuses. It provides information on how to avoid them and if you get sick how to take care of yourself.

http://www.aap.org/pubed/ZZZG2JNPQ7C.htm?&sub_cat=107

http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/guys/testicular_injuries.html

Tinea Infections: Athlete's Foot, Jock Itch and Ringworm (Copyright © AAFP) — This fact sheet explains about the tinea fungus, how it becomes infectious, how to get rid of it, and how to prevent the infections from occurring.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/common/fungal/316.html...

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated June 1, 2009.