Intended for healthcare professionals
Adolescent wellbeing
The world's 1.2 billion adolescents (young people aged 10-19 years) now represent almost 16% of the world's population; yet this group has received limited attention from global agenda-setting initiatives, such as universal health coverage and sustainable development. This needs to be addressed, given that adolescence represents a critical period of the life course during which many factors contributing to lifelong well-being are set.
This BMJ collection, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, supported by Fondation Botnar, examines how the domains of adolescent well-being impact on future outcomes, and how these can be supported and promoted by evidence-based policymaking and programming. Within the collection, the argument is put forward that the world's adolescents cannot be supported to reach their full potential without addressing the multidimensional nature of well-being in this group, and by working across sectors such as health and education.
Podcasts
Letter
Uniting for adolescents in covid-19 and beyond
Helen Clark and colleagues argue that we all have a part to play in delivering a more equitable and inclusive world for future generations
Editorial
Improving adolescent well-being is an urgent global priority
Anshu Mohan and colleagues urge decision makers to reverse decades of neglect
Opinion
Adolescents have not been well served by responses to the pandemic and the climate crisis
Tackling climate change and the pandemic are necessary to regain their trust say Anthony Costello and colleagues
Four powerful reasons for increasing investment in adolescents and their wellbeing
We cannot afford to ignore the needs of this growing sector of the population, argue David Ross and colleagues
What can academic researchers contribute to advancing adolescent wellbeing?
Academics need to listen to adolescents and communities to turn ideas into action, say John S Santelli, Gwendolyn Rosen, and Fred Ssewamala
Building transformational intergenerational partnerships for adolescent wellbeing
Adolescents want a future in which they are supported towards a healthy transition into adulthood, with a whole society approach centred on their lived reality, say Lucy Fagan and colleagues
Analysis
Realising the potential of schools to improve adolescent nutrition
Valentina Baltag and colleagues argue that school health programmes have the potential to mitigate a growing epidemic of malnutrition in children and adolescents
Adolescent connectedness: cornerstone for health and wellbeing
Approaches to youth development that enhance connectedness and opportunities for young people are key to adolescent health and wellbeing argue Robert Blum and colleagues
Violence against adolescents: prevention must cross the divide between children and women
Danielle Engel and colleagues call for an increased focus on adolescents in scaled up programmes for child protection and gender based violence prevention
Breaking down silos between health and education to improve adolescent wellbeing
Nicola Gray and colleagues examine the mutual reinforcement of adolescent health and education, the challenges of intersectoral working, and the joint investment needed to secure wellbeing during adolescence, into adult life, and for the next generation
Strengthening adolescent agency for optimal health outcomes
Janani Vijayaraghavan and colleagues argue that agency and health are intimately connected; achieving best health outcomes for adolescents will require strengthening their agency
Adolescent wellbeing and climate crisis: adolescents are responding, what about health professionals?
Alice McGushin and colleagues argue for recognition of the diverse ways in which climate change affects adolescent wellbeing and call for health professionals to work with them to respond to the crisis
Opportunities to advance measurement of adolescent wellbeing: building on a new conceptual framework
Available data are insufficient and inconsistent, but increasing focus on adolescent wellbeing provides the impetus to advance measurement, argue Holly Newby and colleagues
Optimising adolescent wellbeing in a digital age
Empowering adolescents and strengthening governance of digital media are among the urgent actions required to tackle the digital determinants of adolescent wellbeing, argue Louise Holly and colleagues
Adolescent wellbeing in humanitarian and fragile settings: moving beyond rhetoric
Neha Singh and colleagues argue for research and investment in effective interventions to promote the wellbeing of adolescents affected by conflict and environmental disaster
Creating a better post-pandemic future for adolescents with disabilities
Adolescents with disabilities must have their needs prioritised in recovery and future pandemic responses to improve health, educational, and social outcomes, argue Sarah Baird and colleagues
This collection is part of a collection proposed by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. Funding for the collection, including open access fees, was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The BMJ commissioned, peer reviewed, edited, and made the decision to publish these articles. Emma Veitch was the lead editor for The BMJ.
