Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19. It is a unique stage of human development and an important time for laying the foundations of good health. Adolescents experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth. This affects how they feel, think, make decisions, and interact with the world around them. Despite being thought of as a healthy stage of life, there is significant death, illness and injury in the adolescent years. Much of this is preventable or treatable. During this phase, adolescents establish patterns of behaviour – for instance, related to diet, physical activity, substance use, and sexual activity – that can protect their health and the health of others around them, or put their health at risk now and in the future. To grow and develop in good health, adolescents need information, including age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education; opportunities to develop life skills; health services that are acceptable, equitable, appropriate and effective; and safe and supportive environments. They also need opportunities to meaningfully participate in the design and delivery of interventions to improve and maintain their health. Expanding such opportunities is key to responding to adolescents’ specific needs and rights. adolescence, transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines an adolescent as any person between ages 10 and 19. This age range falls within WHO’s definition of young people, which refers to individuals between ages 10 and 24. In many societies, however, adolescence is narrowly equated with puberty and the cycle of physical changes culminating in reproductive maturity. In other societies adolescence is understood in broader terms that encompass psychological, social, and moral terrain as well as the strictly physical aspects of maturation. In these societies the term adolescence typically refers to the period between ages 12 and 20 and is roughly equivalent to the word teens. Muscles of facial expression, human anatomy, (Netter replacement project - SSC). Human face, human head. Britannica Quiz Characteristics of the Human Body During adolescence, issues of emotional (if not physical) separation from parents arise. While this sense of separation is a necessary step in the establishment of personal values, the transition to self-sufficiency forces an array of adjustments upon many adolescents. Furthermore, teenagers seldom have clear roles of their own in society but instead occupy an ambiguous period between childhood and adulthood. These issues most often define adolescence in Western cultures, and the response to them partly determines the nature of an individual’s adult years. Also during adolescence, the individual experiences an upsurge of sexual feelings following the latent sexuality of childhood. It is during adolescence that the individual learns to control and direct sexualed

2. Adolescence is a period of
dramatic physical change
marked by an overall physical
growth spurt and sexual
maturation.
It is also a time of cognitive
change as the adolescent begins
to think of new possibilities and
to consider abstract concepts
such as love, fear, and freedom.

4. •Early adolescence (9-13 years old)
•Middle adolescence (14-15 years old)
•Late adolescence (16-19 years old)

6. PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Early adolescence
Girls: breast develop and pubic hair development,
start of growth spurt;
Boys: testicular enlargement, start of genital growth
Middle adolescence
Girls: mid-late puberty and end of growth spurt; first
occurrence of menstruation; development of female
body shape with fat deposition
Boys: mid-puberty, beginning of development of
sperm and nocturnal emissions; voice breaks; start
of growth spurt
Late adolescence
Boys: end of puberty; continued increase in muscle
bulk and body hair

7. COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Early adolescence
Concrete thinking but early moral concepts;
progression of sexual identity development (sexual
orientation); possible homosexual peer interest;
reassessment of body image
Curiosity arises
Middle adolescence
Abstract thinking, growth of mindset- thinking about
their abilities, success, and failures ;growing verbal
abilities; identification of law with morality; start of
fervent ideology (religious, political)
Eagerness on topics
Late adolescence
Complex abstract thinking; identification of
difference between law and morality; increased
impulse control; further development of personal
identify; further development or rejection of
religious and political ideology

8. SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Early adolescence
Emotional separation from parents; start of strong
peer identification; early exploratory behaviors
(smoking, violence)
Middle adolescence
Emotional separation from parents; strong peer
identification; increased health risk (smoking, alcohol,
etc); heterosexual peer interest; early vocational plans
Late adolescence
Development of social autonomy; intimate
relationships; development of vocational capability and
financial independence

10. 1. Physical Changes
• Development of full breasts and starting of
menstruation in girls can be awkward in the beginning.
• Acne is one of the major problems.
• Muscle gain sometimes leads to excessive
body weight in teens.
• The growth of pubic hair in girls and boys.
• Body odor becomes evident.

11. 2. Emotional changes and problems
• Identity crisis.
• Adolescent girls are vulnerable to crying.
• Mood swings.
• self-consciousness.
• feel weird.
• Feelings of inferiority or superiority.

12. 3. Behavioral changes
• Peer pressure and the need to ‘fit in’
• Lying is one of the common teen behavioral issues.
• adapting to a dangerous lifestyle.
• teen’s dressing, hairstyle, and sense of fashion
also change, mostly to something that you may
not approve of.

13. 4. Substance use and abuse
• Peer influence to take up smoking and drinking
or to do drugs.
• What may start as a ‘thrill’, can become a habit
if it remains unchecked.
• If there is somebody who smokes or drinks at home,
they can become your teen’s role models.
• Poor self-esteem and the need to be ‘cool’
• Easy access to substances like cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and anabolic
steroidsi may increase the temptation to try illicit substances.

14. 5. Educational challenges
• Academic pressure to excel in their studies.
• Juggling school work, extra curricular-activities
and chores at home can be tiring.
• Distractions at school.

15. 6. Health problems
• Unhealthy eating habits .
• Consciousness about their body can lead to
eating disorders.
• Stress that lead to loss of appetite and sleeplessness.

16. 7. Psychological problems
• Anxiety and depression are prevalent among youth.
• Self-esteem or confidence issues.
• Poor performance in academics and low IQ can also
demotivate them.

17. 8. Social problems
• Attraction to the opposite sex begins.
• This is the time they start dating.

18. 9. Sexual health.
• Unplanned pregnancy.
• Without proper guidance, teenagers may become
sexually active before they are ready.

19. 10. Addiction to cyberspace
• Spend hours on phone, texting, talking or
simply playing.
• Internet addiction
• Less active social life

20. 11. Aggression and violence
• Adolescent boys can get into fights at school.
• Bullying
• Bad company