This document discusses operationalizing adolescent health as part of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health from 2016-2030. It notes that adolescents represent 1/5 of the population in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which has the 2nd highest adolescent mortality rate globally. The main causes of adolescent death are preventable. It outlines regional commitments and country actions taken, and proposes adopting the Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents guidance to strengthen national programming across sectors through a comprehensive approach.

1. Operationalization of the Adolescent
Health Component of the Global
Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and
Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030
Agenda item 3(c)
64th Session of the Regional Committee
for the Eastern Mediterranean
9–12 October 2017, Islamabad
64th
Session of
the Regional Committee
for the Eastern Mediterranean
Islamabad, Pakistan
9–12 October 2017

2. Outline
• Why invest in adolescent health?
• Why we need to act in the Region
• Regional burden and risk factors in adolescent health
• Commitments and country actions
• Applying a systematic and comprehensive approach
• Proposed action
• Conclusion
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

3. Adolescents
• Adolescents are those between 10 and 19
years of age.
• A 10-year-old’s life trajectory will be the true
test of whether the 2030 Sustainable
Development Agenda is a success ‒ or failure.
• Adolescent health has been
neglected as a priority in primary
health care services for too long.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

4. Global adolescent health
challenges
Sources: Health for the World’s Adolescents. 2014 www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/second-decade & others
An estimated 1.2 million adolescents died in 2015, over 3000 every day, from
preventable or treatable causes.
The five leading causes of death in adolescent boys and girls are road injury,
HIV, suicide, lower respiratory infections and Interpersonal violence.
In adolescent girls aged 15‒19
the two leading causes of death are
suicide and complications during
pregnancy and childbirth.
Globally
80% of adolescents are
insufficiently physically active.
70%of preventable adult deaths from noncommunicable diseases are
linked to risk factors that start in adolescence.
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030
4

5. Why adolescent health?
• Adolescents represent one fifth of the Region’s
population.
• The adolescent mortality rate in the Region is the
second highest in the world.
• Sound investment in adolescent health will achieve
progress as a result of the demographic dividend.
• Progress in reducing adolescent mortality to date has
been slow (less than 2% reduction in mortality since
2000).
• The main causes of adolescent death are preventable.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

6. Regional burden of adolescent
mortality
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030
350
deaths/day
among
adolescents
in the Region
daily
LMICs = lower middle-income countries

7. Mortality rate (deaths per 100 000 adolescents)
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030
243
115
101
86 77
55
40
24
0
50
100
150
200
250
300

8. Main causes of adolescent mortality and
morbidity
8
Mortality Morbidity
War and conflict injuries War and conflict injuries
Road traffic injury Iron-deficiency anemia
Drowning Road injury
Lower respiratory infections Depressive disorders
Interpersonal violence Childhood behavioural disorders
Maternal conditions
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

9. Estimated top five causes of female adolescent
deaths by age, 2015
9
5.4
5.9
6.1
9.6
10.1
3.6
3.9
5.0
5.2
7.3
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Lower respiratory infections
Diarrhoeal diseases
Road injury
Self-harm
Maternal conditions
Congenital anomalies
HIV/AIDS
Meningitis
Diarrhoeal diseases
Lower respiratory infections
Females Age 10-14 years 15-19 years
Death rates (per 1000 000 age/sex
Specific population)
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

10. Estimated top five causes of male adolescent
deaths by age, 2015
5.5
6.4
9.1
12.4
22.0
4.1
4.8
6.1
6.8
6.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Lower respiratory infections
Drowning
Self-harm
Interpersonal violence
Road injury
Meningitis
Diarrhoeal diseases
Lower respiratory infections
Drowning
Road injury
Males
10
Death rates (per 1000 000 age/sex
Specific population)
Age 10-14 years 15-19 years
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

11. Reported road traffic deaths in participating
countries, by age, 2013
11
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
0-4 5-14 15-29 30-44 45-59 60-69 70+
Numberofreporteddeaths
Age groupsSource: Database of Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

12. Risk factors associated with
adolescence
• Percentage of students who spent three or more hours
per day sitting and watching television, playing computer
games, or talking with friends, when not in school or doing
homework during a typical or usual day (61%).
• Among students who ever smoked cigarettes, the
percentage who first tried a cigarette before the age of 14
(82%).
• Percentage of students who used drugs
before the age of 14 for the first time,
among students who ever used drugs (82%).
12
https://www.cdc.gov/gshs/countries/index.htm
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

13. Risk factors associated with
adolescence
• Percentage of students who were bullied on one or
more days during the past 30 days (70%).
• Percentage of students who are overweight (51%).
• Among students who ever had a drink of alcohol
(other than a few sips), the percentage who had their
first drink before the age of 14 (88%).
• Percentage of students who seriously considered
attempting suicide in the last 12 months (16%).
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

14. Why now? What’s new?
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

15. Commitments and country action
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“Young people are the world’s greatest untapped resource.”
UN Secretary-General
Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

16. Global Accelerated Action Plan for
Health of Adolescents (AA-HA)
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

17. Accelerated Action for the Health of
Adolescents (AA-HA) guidance
• Launched at side event at the
70th World Health Assembly
in 2017.
• Guidance for implementation
of the adolescent health component of the
Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and
Adolescent Health.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

18. Regional commitments
• Regional Committee resolution EM/RC62/R.1
endorsed in 2015.
• Adolescent health a strategic priority in roadmap
for WHO’s work in the Region for 2017–2021.
• Operationalizing at country level the adolescent
health component of the Global
Strategy through application of
the global AA-HA guidance to
support country implementation.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

19. Regional responses and achievements
• Support provided to Member States to develop/update their
national plans in line with AA-HA guidance.
• Adolescent and youth country profiles to support national
priority-setting developed.
• Technical support provided to Member States to address
adolescent health and well-being.
• Inclusion of adolescent health in regional research
priority areas.
• Adolescent and school health programmatic analysis survey
conducted 2017.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

20. AA-HA! framework
Section 1:
Introduction
Section 2:
Adolescent
health
Section 3:
Evidence-
based
interventions
Section 4:
Country
situation
analysis
Section 5:
National
programming
Section 6:
Monitoring,
evaluation,
and research
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

21. Taking a broader lens to adolescent health
HIV Reproduct
ive
health
Mental
health
Nutrition Infectious
diseases
Violence
Substanc
e abuse
Injury Chronic
physical
illness
HIV RH
Mental
health
Nutrition
n
Infectious
diseases
Violence
Substance
abuse
Injury Chronic
physical
illness
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

22. National programming
Adolescent
responsive
health
systems
Adolescent
Health-in-all-
Policies
Adolescent
specific
programmes
within the
health sector
Intersectoral
programmes
Programming
for
adolescent
health in
humanitarian
and fragile
settings
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

23. Proposed action
A resolution urging Member States to:
• adopt and implement the AA-HA! guidance in order
to strengthen adolescent and youth health
programmes across sectors; and
• build on existing delivery platforms, such as school
health programmes, to deliver child and adolescent
health and development services.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

24. Conclusion
• It is time to invest in adolescent health
to fulfil our commitments.
• Investments in adolescent health bring
a triple dividend of benefits for
adolescents now, for their future adult
lives, and for the next generation.
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

25. Thank you ‫شکریہ‬ ً‫ا‬‫شكر‬
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Operationalization of the Adolescent Health Component of the Global Strategy for Women’s,
Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030