Washington: According to a new study, unsafe sex has emerged as the fastest-growing risk factor for ill health for young people aged 10-24 years over the past 23 years.
Researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have found that the two-third of young people are growing up in countries where preventable and treatable health problems like HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, unsafe sex, depression, injury and violence are posing an ongoing threat to their health and well-being.
In addition to these, adolescents are facing new challenges, including rising levels of obesity and mental health disorders, high unemployment and risk of radicalization.
Unsafe sex has now come up as the fastest-growing risk factor for ill health.
Lead researcher John Santelli said the adolescents from a life-course perspective stand at the crossroads of major challenges to global health.
He added the investments in adolescent health have the potential to alter the future course of global health.
Research also ruled that the two main contributors to health loss worldwide for both sexes are mental health disorders and road injuries although these causes of health loss differed by gender.
Depression resulted in largest amount of ill health worldwide in 2013 affecting more than 10 percent in the age group of 10 to 24 years.
Unsafe sex has become fastest-growing risk factor for ill health in both males and females aged 15-19 years old, rising from 13th place in 1990 to 2nd place in 2013.
Also, alcohol remains the world's leading risk factor for ill health in young adults aged 20-24 years responsible for seven percent of the disease burden.
The study is published in the article of Lancet.
