Common Teen Health Problems and What you Can do About Them

Teenagers, like any other group of people in our society, are prone to health problems. However, unlike other demographics in our society, teenagers share some particular health concerns in common.

These health concerns can be intimidating to teens and problematic for parents who are looking for the best way to manage their child's health. In this article, we will look at some of the most common teen health problems and what parents can do to manage those health concerns and waylay the fear and anxiety that often accompanies those common health issues.

Physical Injury

Teenagers are typically adventurous. This, coupled with the opportunity for a greater number of high-risk physical adventures, puts them at danger of injury in ways less common to younger children.

Common injuries among teenagers include road accidents. In particular, road accidents involving cyclists, drink driving, and pedestrian injuries.

In 2004-2005, the number of ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) cases among 12-24yr olds were 6,000, with males accounting for more than two-thirds (69%) of admissions.

For parents with teenage children, safety should be a priority. This includes clear education on the risks of certain hazardous activities, as well as the precautions that can be taken. These precautions include avoiding alcohol, wearing appropriate safety gear when riding a bicycle or motorbike, and the ability of a teenager to prevent specific environments where peer pressure might move them to act less responsibly.

Unsafe swimming that leads to adolescent drowning should also be of concern to parents. 

Drowning is among the top 10 causes of death among adolescents - with over two-thirds of them boys. Teaching children and adolescents to swim is an essential intervention to prevent these deaths.

Growing Pains and Development Issues

The Teenage years of life are fraught with a myriad of hormonal development issues, changing bodies, and growing pains.

Impacted wisdom teeth are common with teens to young adults ranging in age from 15 to age 25. Here, third molar or wisdom teeth can grow in the wrong direction or lack room to mature, leading to gum disease, tooth decay, damage to nearby teeth, and sinus infections.

The most straightforward remedy is to ensure that Lake Haven teenagers have regular visits to a general dental practitioner, as well as maintain proper teeth and gum cleaning.

Cigarette smoking can also negatively impact developing bodies, and 10teens should be taught the risks of tobacco and given strategies to avoid the peer pressure and habit forming of cigarette smoking. This also applies to recreational drug-taking, which is increasingly common among young teenagers.

Such habits can impact not only the growth and development but also mental capacity common mental health and well-being.

As teenage bodies begin to develop there is also a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Playful experimentation and the lack of discipline can lead to the transmission of Hepatitis, herpes, warts, and other serious problems. These can have lifelong implications, including the inability to have children. Parents should educate their kids on the importance of abstinence as well as the risks of damaging sexual practices.

There are also emotional risks attached to careless sexual activity, and parents should make themselves aware of the Psychological impact of broken relationships, teenage pregnancies in teenage sexual health problems.

Mental Health

Emotional turmoil has almost become synonymous with teen angst. Assumptions made about body positivity, diet and the social pressures placed on teenagers to conform to sort certain stereotypes can lead to long-term mental health issues.

These can present themselves in a wide range of symptomatic behaviour. Self-harm, cutting, adopting unhealthy eating practices, withdrawal and anxiety should all be carefully investigated if they begin to appear and help sort early on in the development of the unhealthy psychological patterns and behaviours.

Parents can sometimes be tempted to distance themselves from their teenage son's and daughters, thinking that they require more space than children and other stages of development.

Be careful about creating social kind of distance between you and your children. It's important that parents monitor the way that teenagers use social media, the types of social activities they engage in and the kind of influences in media and entertainment that can control or affect teenage behaviour.

Healthy bonds and relationships between siblings, as well as a good relationship between mum and dad, will significantly support a teenager and help steady them in unsteady circumstances.

Giving your teens work to do around the house can also help lower stress and anxiety. It also teaches them to adopt responsibilities and makes them a more likely asset to a future employer. However, don’t wait until they are in their teens to implement these kinds of routines. Set them in place early and stick to them.

Physical exercise and healthy family social engagements help to mitigate against broader social pressures that can lead to mental health problems.

As with any age group, teenagers should be given adequate rest and nutrition. Where discipline has been maintained in the home early in life, many of the problems associated with teen health can be avoided and/or managed with a lot less stress, anxiety and grief.

Feature image, Pexels, CCO License