Pennsylvania to kick off “Teen Health Week”
(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania says it’s about to make history, starting Monday: the state is launching a new Teen Health week.
The week is said to be the first one in the nation devoted to just teen health.
Participating organizations will focus on five different areas: nutrition and exercise, substance abuse, mental health, sexual health, and violence prevention.
Teens that visit the doctor or hospital next week might get more information about how to take care of themselves, or learn about the risks of smoking.
Dr. Laura Offut from Bucks County says the idea came to her as she saw how early habits can affect your health later in life.
“That was coupled with my own kids becoming teenagers and hearing what they had heard from their peers and what they were learning in school and what questions they were going to the internet, looking for information,” says Offut.
Offut says the week can be used to raise awareness and help clear up any myths or misconceptions.
“A lot of medical misinformation and sensationalism out in the press. All of those things kinda got rolled into why I felt like I wanted to try to do something and I started with a simple teen health blog,” she adds.
Some hospital systems and medical schools have also planned special events throughout the Pennsylvania Teen Health week to reach more kids, and also educate them about a career in the medical field.
Pennsylvania has achieved success in one area regarding teens: the pregnancy rate.
It’s fallen 32 percent from 1999 to 2012.
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