Latest news with #LancetCommission
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Watch: Covid cases rise, adolescent health, skin care and more
We address the elephant in the room – COVID cases are rising. There is a palpable sense of panic. Is it a pandemic? Should we take precautions? In the US, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr has said Covid boosters are not to be given to pregnant women and children, with experts already questioning this move. We also talk about the Lancet Commission report on adolescent health and childhood obesity, and the installation of sugar boards in CBSE schools. Back to the US, legendary musician Billy Joel has cancelled his concerts due to an illness called NPS. What is it all about? In our expert segment, we speak to Dr. Monisha Madhumita, Assistant Professor at the Department of Dermatology, in Chennai's Saveetha Medical College. Dr Madhumita talks about skin care routines in this varying climate of blazing sunshine followed by rains, skin pigmentation issues and more. Presentation: Ramya Kannan and Zubeda Hamid Editing: Thamodharan B. Videography: Thamodharan B. and Shiva Raj
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Watch: Covid cases rise, adolescent health, skin pigmentation, and more
We address the elephant in the room – COVID cases are rising. There is a palpable sense of panic. Is it a pandemic? Should we take precautions? In the US, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr has said Covid boosters are not to be given to pregnant women and children, with experts already questioning this move. We also talk about the Lancet Commission report on adolescent health and childhood obesity, and the installation of sugar boards in CBSE schools. Back to the US, legendary musician Billy Joel has cancelled his concerts due to an illness called NPS. What is it all about? In our expert segment, we speak to Dr. Monisha Madhumita, Assistant Professor at the Department of Dermatology, in Chennai's Saveetha Medical College. Dr Madhumita talks about skin care routines in this varying climate of blazing sunshine followed by rains, skin pigmentation issues and more. Presentation: Ramya Kannan and Zubeda Hamid Editing: Thamodharan B. Videography: Thamodharan B. and Shiva Raj
The National
23-05-2025
- Health
- The National
One in three teenagers in the Middle East to be overweight in five years
By 2030, one in three teenagers in the Middle East and in high-income countries is expected to be obese. The second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and well-being warned that the health of adolescents worldwide is at a tipping point and action is needed to tackle the rising threats. The commission estimated 464 million adolescents globally will be overweight or obese within five years, 143 million more than in 2015. It said this would underline 'the shortcomings in combating adolescent obesity'. Research earlier this year led to a forecast that the Middle East and North Africa would be the centre of the world's youth obesity crisis by 2050, at which point more than half of the region's children and young people will be overweight. Scientists expect the Middle East will overtake North America as the most out-of-shape region if "startling" trends in weight gain over the past 30 years continue. A progression has been seen over the past four decades. A World Health Organisation report in 2018 found nine Middle Eastern countries ranked highest in the obesity statistics for adults and rates had trebled since 1975, with Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia the highest. A separate study found social media use was linked to a rise in depression among teenagers. The research team at UC San Francisco examined data following nearly 12,000 children aged nine and 10 years and then three years later at 12 and 13. On average, children's social media use rose from seven to 73 minutes a day over the three years of the study and their depressive symptoms increased 35 per cent. 'There has been ongoing debate about whether social media contributes to depression or simply reflects underlying depressive symptoms,' said Jason Nagata, associate professor in UCSF's Department of Paediatrics. 'These findings provide evidence that social media may be contributing to the development of depressive symptoms.' The new Lancet analysis indicates that without targeted action by 2030 at least half of the world's adolescents (more than one billion) would still live in countries where they are at risk of experiencing poor health across many indicators, including mental health and being overweight. It said over the past decade, progress in adolescent health and well-being has been 'mixed and uneven'. 'While global rates of smoking and alcohol use have declined and educational participation – especially among young women – has increased, obesity-related diseases and mental health disorders are rising in all regions,' it said. It also highlighted that today's adolescents are the first generation 'to grow up under harsher climate conditions and the pervasive presence of digital technology' and therefore disproportionately face emerging global health threats. Adolescents in low and middle-income countries represent more than a quarter of the population and bear a disproportionate share of the global disease burden (9.1 per cent), yet receive only 2.4 per cent of global development aid, it was warned. Prof Sarah Baird, of George Washington University in the US and co-chairwoman of the commission, said: 'The health and well-being of adolescents worldwide is at a tipping point, with mixed progress observed over the past three decades. "Whilst tobacco and alcohol use has declined and participation in secondary and tertiary education has increased, overweight and obesity have risen by up to eightfold in some countries in Africa and Asia over the past three decades, and there is a growing burden of poor adolescent mental health globally. "Additionally, the challenges faced by the world's adolescents are at risk of being exacerbated by emerging global issues including climate change, world conflicts and a rapid transition to a more digital world. 'Investing in the health and well-being of young people is crucial for safeguarding our collective future. We must prioritise investment in adolescent health and well-being through initiatives including those that strengthen schools to promote health and well-being and to ensure universal access to health care for adolescents. "Furthermore, adolescent engagement and activism must be central to creating the social and community changes we need to foster a more just society and create a healthier planet with more opportunities for everyone.'
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Second Lancet Commission on adolescent health records some gains; indicates need for more investments, laws to ensure wellbeing
The second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing has recorded that despite progress in some areas, without increasing investments, by the end of 2030, at least half of the world's adolescents (1 billion people) will be living in multi-burden countries where adolescents experience a complex and excess burden of disease. Further it has projected that in 2030, 464 million adolescents globally will be overweight or obese (143 million more than in 2015) and 42 million years of health life will be lost to mental disorders or suicide (2 million more than in 2015). The report at the end of the Commission's term released this week, pointed out that funding for adolescent health and wellbeing is not commensurate with the magnitude of the challenge and is not targeted to the areas of greatest need. For example, specific funding for adolescent health accounted for only 2·4% of total development assistance for health in 2016–21, despite adolescents accounting for 25·2% of the world population. Diverse group of commissioners Initiated in 2021, the Commission brought together a diverse group of 44 commissioners, including 10 youth. The deliberations have been shaped by meaningful engagement with adolescents and youth throughout all aspects, including bringing in 122 adolescents to be part of Youth Solution Labs. World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Adhanom Ghebreysus Tedros, writing in The Lancet, said: 'The second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing shows that significant strides have been made in improving adolescent health globally, while laying out significant challenges ahead. Over the past two decades, adolescent mortality has declined by 27%, owing to substantial reductions in malnutrition and communicable diseases, and expanded access to education—especially for girls. These changes will pave the way towards greater gender equity and better life outcomes.' Why is this report significant? Sheer numbers, for one. The global population of roughly 2 billion adolescents constitutes around 24% of the world's population. 'The current generation of adolescents is the largest in the history of suggest that by 2100 around 46% of the world's adolescents will live in Africa, and that 85% will live in Africa or Asia,' the report states. The proportion of adolescents living in conflict-affected areas has more than doubled since the 1990s. An estimated 340 million (18%) adolescents now live in conflict-affected areas. Better indicators and improvement in data systems at the national and global level are required to monitor systemic changes in health and wellbeing outcomes and in the circumstances in which adolescents are growing up, the report added. As Dr. Tedros said: 'Data matter, too. That is why WHO, together with partners, launched Global Action for the Measurement of Adolescent Health to close critical data gaps and strengthen accountability—including in underexplored domains such as adolescent connectedness.' Social media impact Interestingly, the report draws attention to the possible impact of social media on the lives of adolescents who it calls the 'first global generation of digital natives'. Globally, 79% of 15–24-year-olds use the internet, a much higher proportion than among any other age-group, and more than 95% of adolescents in high-income and upper-middle-income countries are digitally connected. It calls for 'enabling laws and policies provide the foundational environments for sustained improvements in adolescent health and wellbeing. These environments should protect adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, reduce the impact of the commercial determinants of health, and promote the healthy use of social media and online spaces.' The report has also asked for multisectoral actions on mental health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, and violence to amplify gains made in adolescent health. Coordination is needed between ministries of health and of education with regard to interventions in schools.
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Over 46 cr adolescents globally will be obese by 2030, face many health disorders: Lancet
New Delhi: The health of adolescents is at a tipping point, with more than 46 crore adolescents globally estimated to be obese and face several health and mental disorders by 2030, according to an analysis published by the Lancet Commission on Wednesday. In the second analysis on adolescent health and well-being since 2016, the Commission estimates that by 2030, one-third of adolescents in high-income countries in Latin America, and the Middle East will be overweight, underscoring the shortcomings in combating adolescent obesity. The analysis, based on data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study, projects that 46.4 crore (or 464 million) adolescents globally will be overweight or obese by 2030 -- 143 million more than in 2015. There will still be over 1 billion of the world's adolescents (aged 10–24 years) living in countries where preventable and treatable health problems like HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, unsafe sex, depression, poor nutrition and injury collectively threaten the health and well-being of adolescents. Notably, in 2030, 4.2 crore years of healthy life will be lost to mental disorders or suicide (20 lakh more than in 2015). "The health and well-being of adolescents worldwide is at a tipping point, with mixed progress observed over the past three decades,' said Commission co-chair, Professor Sarah Baird, from George Washington University in the US. "While tobacco and alcohol use has declined and participation in secondary and tertiary education has increased, overweight and obesity have risen by up to eight-fold in some countries in Africa and Asia over the past three decades, and there is a growing burden of poor adolescent mental health globally,' she added. Further, the Commission also identified several significant new threats to adolescent health such as climate change and the shift toward a more digital world. Today's adolescents are the first generation who will live their entire lives with the average annual global temperature that has consistently been 0.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. And by 2100, 1.9 billion adolescents will live in a world that is expected to warm to around 2.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, bringing catastrophic risks to their health such as heat-related illnesses, reduction in food and water quality and availability, and a rise in mental health conditions related to climate events. The projections suggest that, without political will, policy initiatives, and financial investments, there will still be more than 1 billion adolescents living in multi-burden countries in 2030. Baird urged for increasingly "investing in the health and well-being of young people' to safeguard the 'collective future'.
