SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

FIGURE 3.6:
The share of overweight children is higher in East
Asia and the Pacific compared to South Asia
Note: Data range from 2000 to 2013.
Source: OECD and WHO 2014.
young people suffer from malnutrition, fatal
diarrhoea and tuberculosis; others can look to
a future with a high risk of heart disease. This
double burden imposes enormous stresses on
national health systems.
ADOLESCENT HEALTH ISSUES NEED
GREATER ATTENTION
Adolescent mortality rates in Asia-Pacific are
relatively low. They are higher among boys than
girls, and among older adolescents (15 to 19 years)
than younger ones (10 to 14 years). Leading
causes of death include unintentional injury,
especially road injury; early pregnancy; HIV
and AIDS; suicide; lower respiratory infections
and interpersonal violence. Lower respiratory
infections rank among the top five causes, and
in South-east Asia, along with diarrhoeal diseases
and meningitis, account for 18 percent of
all deaths among 10 to 14 year olds. Violence
is a particular problem in the region for boys;
maternal mortality for girls.
A number of behavioural factors influence
health in adolescence and later years. Some
are major causes of mortality and morbidity,
such as suicide attempts. Health-compromising
behaviour at this stage of life can have lasting
consequences, underscoring the importance of
prevention. 55
Suicide is the leading cause of death for
15 to 19 year-old males and females in Southeast
Asia, and among the top five causes of
mortality for both sexes in all regions. 56 Asian
countries account for approximately 60 percent
of the world’s suicides, with some of the highest
rates afflicting India, Japan, Nepal, Republic
of Korea and Sri Lanka. 57 Suicide risks have
complex origins in a variety of factors that can
influence mental health, including genetics, socioeconomic
standing, cultural norms and even
practices within health systems such as the low
availability of mental health-care professionals.
Depression is a major cause of illness, and
is interlinked with tobacco and alcohol use, a
sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Though alcohol
consumption in Asia-Pacific is, on average, lower
than that in Europe, Latin America and North
America, harmful drinking among adolescents
occurs in many countries. Between a quarter and
a fifth of high school students in some Pacific
island states had five or more alcoholic drinks
in a row in a month. 58 Alcohol use contributes
to risks of injury, violence, unprotected sex and
suicide attempts. In Asia-Pacific in 2012, across
all age groups, 5 percent to 6 percent of all deaths
were attributed to alcohol consumption.
Drug and substance abuse and tobacco use
are other major concerns, 59 since consumption
often begins in adolescence. Boys aged 13 to
15 in South Asia and South-east Asia partake
of tobacco at higher rates than in other regions,
at over 22 percent compared to 10 percent in
OECD countries. In a handful of countries, 30
to 60 percent of adolescent boys smoke, a significant
public health hazard. Prohibiting the sale
of tobacco products to minors, increasing the
price, banning tobacco advertising and ensuring
smoke-free environments are crucial measures
to curb consumption.
Early sexual activity, within or outside of
marriage, increases the vulnerability of adolescents
to sexually transmitted infections, including
HIV, unwanted pregnancies and coerced
sex by older partners. Often it takes place in a
context of highly unequal gender relations, and
Adolescents are
vulnerable to physical
and mental health
issues, requiring
holistic counselling
and care
99