Home to around 253 million adolescents, India will next month host the World Congress on Adolescent Health, billed as the biggest global event in adolescent health this year.
Held once in every four years, the International Association for Adolescent Health's 11th World Congress on Adolescent Health, themed 'Investing in Adolescent Health
the Future is Now' will be held here from October 27-29.
The Congress will deliberate on the challenges in the areas of global adolescent health which include leading causes of death among adolescents, together with road traffic injuries and self-harm, interpersonal violence, communicable diseases and teenage pregnancy.
Tobacco, alcohol and other substance use which contribute to health concerns among adolescents along with unemployment, accidents, depression and suicide will be also discussed.
The event is being organised with the support of the Ministry of Health and MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child is hosting the World Congress with a consortium of partners.
Globally, adolescence is demographically dense - a period which encapsulates tremendous change in relation to critical life events such as transitions from education to employment, and formation of families and parenting, said experts.
Adolescence is also the period in which individuals experience the greatest change in health and health-related behaviours across their lifetime.
Well recognized as a time of risk for health, increasingly adolescence is now recognized as a period of opportunity for health, in which individuals gain the assets and resources to sustain health across the life-course, Dr Sunil Mehra, Executive Director, MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child said.
"Adolescents need to be at the centre of future investment in health and education for sustainable development," Mehra said.
Professor Susan Sawyer, President, International Association for Adolescent Health, said, "This meeting couldn't be better timed, as never has there been such global recognition of the importance of advancing the health and well being of adolescents, including in India."
The World Congress is anticipating around 800 international and national delegates including adolescent health experts from across the globe, representatives from ministry of health, national and global representatives of UN organizations and national and international NGO among others.
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