Youth is bad all over the world

UN Commission on Population Development: Youth has become more risky

05/06/2012

The 45th session of the UN Commission on Population Development draws a bitter conclusion: the world's 1.8 billion children, adolescents and young adults between the ages of ten and 24 are today exposed to significantly more harmful influences such as drugs, alcohol, stress and STDs than never before. The result is completely contrary to the better health care of adolescents in the western industrial nations. Although the health care of children has improved significantly in all areas, the forecasts are rather bleak.

Fat foods, alcohol, stress, nicotine, poverty and violence: Young people today are more affected by negative influences than ever before. Although health care has improved dramatically in many areas over the last few decades, organic and mental illnesses will increase massively. This is the result of a recent study by the UN Commission on Population Development. In April 2012, the scientific journal has this „The Lancet“ a four-part series with the title „The young people of today“ which deals with the future health of today's young people. If the adult world does not take the problems of young people seriously, sustainable social development can not work, the experts warned.

Young people have a lower control value in research
The spokesman for Unicef ​​Germany, Rudi Tarneden, explained why young people have had less of a role in research and medicine so far. "In recent years, it has been about the absolute basics such as drinking water, vaccine protection and education, and such comparatively simple measures have reduced child mortality by 35 percent since 1990." However, the problems of the adolescents are less easy to encounter than those of the children. This applies to Germany as well as the Third World. To lead a life full of risks and to harm one's own health is a consequence of poverty, exclusion and lack of enlightened work. „Such problems can not simply be vaccinated away“, so Tarneden.

Sexually transmitted diseases continue to gain ground
According to the UNICEF representative, there is a high demand for education especially in the area of ​​sexuality. The AIDS-related disease AIDS is still on the rise due to the uninterrupted spread of HIV in many countries. In addition, no less dangerous sexually transmitted diseases are transmitted, with unforeseeable consequences for those affected. In contrast to AIDS, however, other venereal diseases are less known among young people. Because in addition to the spread of HIV, more and more adolescents are infected with viruses of the genus Gonococci, Treponema and Chlamydia. The former causes the disease „gonorrhea“ and second „syphilis“. In many schools, AIDS is now a household name in the curriculum, but little is known about other diseases. Sex is still a secondary subject in the classroom. And even though sex has become an easily accessible commodity through the internet.

Barely filtered information for children through the internet
„It goes without saying that young people today grow up with the Internet“, reports social pedagogue Gritli Bertram. The fatal thing, however, is that the flood of information is no longer filtered. Many children today know faster than their parents where and what can be found on which websites. Have young people from then still at „Doctor summer“ informed in the bravo about sexuality and initial problems in puberty, „Today all the taboos have fallen through the internet“, said the teacher. With a few clicks you can easily find everything, „whether pornographic sites or scenes of violence, everything is unfiltered“. For some time scientists have been debating the extent to which the Internet influences the sexual behavior of young people. „Many kids think that sex on the internet is a representation of the real world and imitates it, especially to the chagrin of the girls“, so Bertram. But accurate scientific research on this can only be done in a few years. Everything indicates, however, that at least morals change sustainably. What consequences this is, is not yet foreseeable.

Continuous sounding of the corporations
A consequence of the medial continuous sounding can be observed already now. Through the Internet, corporations reach young people around the world, around the clock. The industry has massively increased its sales in recent years through the mass media. This is especially true for tobacco manufacturers, such as Prof. Dr. med. Kurt Ullrich from the Department of Paediatrics at the University Hospital Hamburg reports. Although smoking is steadily declining in rich countries, „increases the sales of cigarettes“ reports the doctor. "That can only mean that the market is growing in second and third world countries."

The cigarette manufacturers have thrown their marketing concept of that time overboard in order to reach young people more effectively despite successful anti-smoking campaigns. Instead of the lonely cowboy on the horse, not only should „hard men“ addressed through a targeted advertising campaign, but increasingly young women. Placards show young, attractive women, who tell the beholder "Maybe you will never own her boss." (No Maybe, but a clear "Yes") call afterwards. The advertising obviously does not miss its effect. According to the latest statistics, more and more women are smoking, although fewer and fewer people in the industrialized countries are reaching the stinking point. As a result, the death toll of tobacco-related cancer cases is also increasing, as the Federal Institute for Statistics recently announced.

Overweight in the world is an increasing problem
The food industry is also inventing more and more designed foods that lead to unbridled consumption. Here, too, young people are the focus of corporate groups. It is no longer a secret that more and more people are suffering from obesity (adiposity) at an early age. Although the health politicians are now reacting and launching numerous campaigns to counter the overweight in girls and boys. But the trend can hardly be stopped, warns Ulrich. Most nutritional programs are not very effective, said the pediatrician. Most children are not helped by recommendations on healthy eating, especially if the unhealthy lifestyle in their parents' home is continued and socialized. Therefore, programs that involve the parents in the long term, in principle, meaningful and showed the best long-term success. A simple but effective tip gives the expert: „Just watch less TV“. The reduction of television consumption leads in the long run to a „Similar weight loss as a strict diet. "

Too much fat food, hardly any movement and high media consumption, the problems have long since spread from the prosperity countries to formerly poor states. "Emerging economies now have both: first and third world problems." In countries like South Africa, China or India, rich and poor live side by side. Some suffer from acute underweight and others from obesity. The problem is in the so-called „emerging markets“ barely registered. Therefore, there are hardly any programs for healthy nutrition and very few social safety nets, for example, to relieve depressive episodes.

Adolescents are increasingly suffering from mental illnesses
According to UNICEF, the psychological problems among children and adolescents have risen sharply. According to the experts, around 20 percent of young people suffer from depression or depressive episodes during puberty. Pressure to perform, ever increasing demands on the part of the school and home, stress but also poverty and violence make more and more children fall into a veritable sadness. While there are many therapeutic options in the first world, children are helpless in the third world of the disease. Therefore, they are particularly at risk of suffering a manifested depression. A look at the statistics reveals that suicide rates are highest in the Eastern European countries. The sad suicide ranking lead states such as Russia, Lithuania, Latvia or Kazakhstan.

„Not every depression that is not treated therapeutically will automatically lead to suicide“, reports the teacher. But the victims often flee in their desperation in addictions, regularly consume drugs such as alcohol, cannabis or cigarettes. „The traumatic experiences of violence often accompany children throughout their lives“. It is often unlikely that children who are mentally ill in their childhood will become healthy and cheerful adults. Not to mention that the sometimes seriously ill children one „can make a full contribution to society later“. However, it is already clear that the economic and financial crisis will continue to increase, that environmental pollution and climate change are wreaking havoc and that humanity is facing massive problems. In view of the numbers, Tarneden demands more attention for the adolescents of this world, because today the largest generation of youth of all time is growing up. They are left alone with their problems, „will undermine the sustainable development of society again and again. "(sb)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann / Carlsberg1988