Understanding Adolescence

Vision Adolescents empowered to make informed choice in their personal and public life promoting creative and responsible behaviour through Information, Education and Services.

Who are Adolescents? Adolescents are persona between the age group of 10-19 years. Adolescence is the period in life that signals a shift from childhood to adulthood. This is a period of rapid physical, psychological and social maturation. Growth phases can be demarcated as early adolescence (10-13 years), middle adolescence (14-16 years) and late adolescence (17-19 years).

Understanding adolescence Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood marked by:

Perceptible physical, biological and emotional changes.

A need to extend relationships beyond the immediate family.

A sense of idealism, curiosity and adventure.

Why focus on Adolescent Health?

Adolescents constitute considerable proportion of India's population (22%).

They are a rich human resource and an important part of the development process.

Good health of adolescents will help in raising the health status of the community.

Adolescents comprise a major part of the reproductive age group; they will play a significant role in determining the future size & growth of India's population.

A supportive and caring environment will promote optimum development of their physical and intellectual capabilities.

Adolescents are highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other STIs.

Health of adolescent girls has an intergenerational effect.

Right information, an enabling environment and supportive services help adolescents take informed decisions regarding important health issues and contribute to a better future.