Drop in risky behaviour
A joint scheme has dramatically reduced behavioural factors behind adolescent deaths over the past three years, experts
said yesterday.
A risk-behaviour survey in 2003 showed road accidents, HIV/Aids, suicide and homicide were the four leading causes of death in people aged 15-24, said Assoc Prof Dr Suwanna Ruangkancha-nasetr, director of the Adolescent Health Promotion Centre at Ramathibodi Hospital.Conducted by Ramathibodi Hospital, the survey was done on about 40,000 students from 13 high schools nationwide. Its findings prompted the hospital to initiate a scheme aimed at reducing factors contributing to major youth problems. A repeat survey last year showed most factors that lead to illness and death in young people - including risk behaviour associated with road accidents, violence, unsafe sex and depression - had dropped considerably. The only factor the scheme failed to control was youths being overweight or even obese. This rose by up to 30 per cent in the studied population. Schools participating in the 2003 survey had set up their own "teen clinics". Training, healthcare, a computer-based health assessment and teachers' guidelines for taking care of teenagers were designed and distributed by Ramathibodi Hospital. Arthit Khwankhom, The Nation
|
