Health Problems Experienced By Teenagers

August 12 is observed as International Youth Day. In terms of health, teenagers are considered to be the healthiest period of life compared to other age groups so that they experience minimal health problems. But actually, teenagers experience 4 health problems that are often experienced, including:

1. Lack of iron or anemia
Based on data released by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, there are 12% of teenagers boys and 23% of teenagers girls who experience anemia. Anemia can be caused by several things, such as an unfit body condition, lack of vitamins and nutrients, and menstruation. Anemia has a bad impact in the form of decreased immunity, concentration, learning achievement, fitness and productivity. In particular, anemia in teenagers girls will have a more serious impact considering they are prospective mothers who will become pregnant and give birth to babies, thereby increasing the risk of maternal death, premature birth and low birth weight (LBW). Anemia can be characterized by symptoms of weakness, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, sweating, and an irregular heartbeat. If you have anemia, you should immediately eat nutritious foods and take blood-boosting vitamins so that this condition does not worsen. However, it would be even better if preventive measures were taken, such as the consumption of foods high in iron, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc, and administration of blood-added tablets (TTD).
2. Lack of height or stunting
These health problems are caused by micronutrient deficiencies, malnutrition and/or chronic or recurrent infectious diseases. Stunting in teenagers is also a long-term result of chronic consumption of low-quality diets combined with morbidity, infectious diseases, and environmental problems. Stunting in teenagers has an impact on decreased achievement and learning capacity, work ability and capacity, cognitive function, immunity, and the body's metabolic system.
3. Chronic lack of energy or thinness
The results of the Basic Household Research (Riskesdas 2018) show that 8.7% of teenagers aged 13-15 are thin and very thin, and 8.1% of teenagers aged 16-18 years are also thin and even very thin. This health problem is caused by the same thing as the problem of stunting. It is necessary to educate teenagers regarding balanced nutrition, ideal weight and height, and physical activity. Parents also need to provide healthy food at home, regulate meal portions and limit consumption of sugar, salt, fat, and avoid junk food.
4. Overweight or obesity
This health problem is suspected to be the main cause of the teenagers diet. Data from the Global School Health Survey in 2015 revealed that 65.2% of teenagers do not always eat breakfast, 93.6% of teenagers consume less fiber and fruit vegetables, and 75.7% often consume flavored foods. In addition, 42.5% of teenagers also lack physical activity. These things increase a person's risk of becoming obese, overweight, even obese where obesity increases the risk of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, osteoporosis and others which have implications for decreased productivity and life expectancy. Teenager obesity can be prevented by adjusting the pattern and portion of eating and drinking, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, doing lots of physical activity, avoiding stress and getting enough sleep.

For teenagers user or parents user who have teenagers with the above health problems, it is advisable to consult with experts such as doctors through the mDoc application to overcome these problems so that they do not have an impact on other health problems. Download the mDoc application and consult with doctors both offline and online.