Health and well- being in adolescence: A dynamic profile

Abstract

This chapter describes how the profile of physical and mental health and well-being changes across adolescence. The biological context of healthy adolescent growth and development is reviewed, including secular patterns of puberty and brain maturation. The structural and social determinants of adolescent health are then described. Adolescent health outcomes, including patterns of risk behaviors, emerge from the interaction between biological influences and social health determinants. Estimates of mortality and disability-adjusted life years are used to describe three patterns of adolescent health and well-being that vary by age, sex, and national wealth. Globally, the burden of disease incre..