More Understanding Of The Needs Of Adolescents With A Chronic Condition Is Required - The Lancet Adolescent Health Series

Main Category: Pain / Anesthetics
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 27 Mar 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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At least 12% of adolescents live with a chronic condition worldwide, and this figure is increasing. Some chronic conditions are characterised by increasing incidence (eg, diabetes and HIV/AIDS), or improving survival rates (eg, cystic fibrosis), while others are concerning because of differentially poorer outcomes in adolescents in comparison to both children and adults (eg, cancer).

Growing evidence suggests that young people with chronic conditions are doubly disadvantaged - engaging in risky behaviours (eg, tobacco use in young people with asthma or diabetes) to at least similar if not higher rates as healthy peers, while having the potential for greater adverse health outcomes from these behaviours.

Susan Sawyer (Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia) and colleagues review the interaction between adolescents with chronic conditions and the health systems that support them.

They state, that in addition to efforts at improving survival, in order to improve the life chances of young people with chronic conditions, we need to better understand how the social and emotional outcomes of these young people can be improved. In particular, to understand and better support young people's emerging capacity for self-care.

More understanding of the needs of adolescents with a chronic condition is required
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