Colliding epidemics of communicable and non-communicable diseases during adolescence in South Africa

Abstract

Over the past 50 years, the improvement of health outcomes in
infants and young children has received more attention than that in
adolescents, primarily because adolescence is not typically associated
with ill health. However, this picture is rapidly changing, with the
present generation of adolescents already encountering diverse
challenges, with different biosocial and neurocognitive responses
compared with their parents and grandparents. These transitions are
influenced by geographical, cultural, economic and genetic contexts.
This issue of CME includes the final two articles on the topic of
adolescent health.