Name That Symptom / Question
Published: July 24, 2002
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I want to know what the main health issues that teens are suffering in the united states? I need it for a forensic speech that I have to make in communications class on teen health. XXXXX XXXXX, MI
Signed: Main Health Issues For Teens In the US
Dear Main Health Issues For Teens In the US,
TeenHealthFX thanks you for your question - please note that we cannot use your name and/or email on our website.
As for your question, according to the National Center For Health Statistics and the Allan Guttmacher Institute, auto accidents are the leading cause of death among American teenagers. According to the Center For Disease Control 5,060 young people ages 15-19 lost their lives in 1998 as a result of a motor vehicle related injury and many of these involved alcohol.
Additionally, according to the American Medical Association the following are the leading health concerns for adolescents: physical activity, overweight and obesity, tobacco use, substance abuse, responsible sexual behavior, mental health, injury and violence, environmental quality, immunizations, and access to care. They have a terrific website at http://www.ama-assn.org/ where you can find much, much more information on this subject. There is a comprehensive area devoted to adolescent health and perhaps most relevant to your question, a paper called Healthy Youth 2010: Supporting the 21 Critical Adolescent Objectives.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
In the 
