Page 25 - HOH UPDATED

Half of all deaths of young people in the Americas can be prevented
New PAHO report examines the health of young people in the Region and makes

recommendations on how it can be improved and lives saved.

Washington D.C, 5 March 2019 (PAHO/WHO) – Half of all deaths of young people aged
between 10-24 in the Americas are due to homicide, road traffic fatalities and suicide, all of

which are preventable, reveals a new report launched by the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO).

The report, “The Health of Adolescents and Youth in the Americas: Implementation of the

Regional Strategy and Plan of Action on Adolescent and Youth Health 2010-2018,” presents
and analyzes the latest available data related to the health of young people from 48 countries
and territories in the Americas. It includes information on what they die from, what illnesses they
suffer from, their sexual and reproductive health, substance use, nutrition and levels of physical
activity.

“While progress has been made across the Region towards ensuring greater access to health
care, many of the interventions to prevent young people from dying before their time fall outside
the health sector”, said Dr Carissa F. Etienne, Director of PAHO. “We must increase efforts

across all sectors to ensure that young people not only survive, but thrive,” she added.

Around 237 million young people aged 10-24 years live in the Americas, comprising a quarter of

the Region’s population. Despite representing such a huge priority demographic, however,
youth mortality rates have only slightly reduced between 2000 and 2015.

The report outlines six recommendations on how to improve the health of young people in the

Region. These include: ensuring that adolescent and youth health programs are well-funded
and involve other sectors besides health; fostering health systems that respond to youth needs;
using evidence-based approaches that target vulnerable groups; implementing monitoring and
evaluation programs so that continual improvements are made; building capacity for those who

work with young people; and empowering and engaging young people as agents of change in
their communities and countries.

Main causes of death and disease