ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the issue of young people’s health. The physical growth and change that young women and men experience during adolescence is fundamental to their image of self and the development of self-identity. This is reviewed briefly in the first section. Previous chapters, notably Chapter 2, have looked at the social and psychological transitions that young people also experience, and this is a theme which has been explored using empirical data from the YPLL project. One of the topics which was touched on and which has particular resonance in relation to young people’s health is that of risk taking. To what extent do adolescents have a particular affinity for risk-taking behaviour, and what are the consequences in terms of the choices they make in health issues? Young people often use risk-taking behaviours to identify with adult patterns of behaviour. Subsequent sections of this chapter look at particular forms of health behaviour of most concern in adolescence-smoking, drinking, drug taking and sexual behaviour.
