Social divide hits teen health

Wednesday September 9th, 2009

Today's British teenagers have a wide range of concerns, from losing weight to alcohol - but are divided by income, according to findings published today.

But here is a clear social divide, found the Department of Health survey. It shows that teenagers from low income families are twice as worried about bullying, drugs, and smoking than those from high income families.

Teenagers from higher income families are more likely to worry about peer pressure and fitting in.

The survey of 1,486 teenagers was carried out as part of an NHS initiative called Teen LifeCheck. It also showed that nearly half (48 per cent) of teenagers don't talk to their friends about their worries.

They believe they will be considered silly or different, or that their friends wouldn't understand, but Teen LifeCheck has proved to be a popular source of advice.

The service, at www.teenlifecheck.co.uk, aims to guide teenagers aged 12-15 years towards a healthy lifestyle by offering a quiz which will direct the user to tailored support on topics such as alcohol, safety, healthy eating and exercise.

According to the Department of Health, the site has already had a considerable impact since it began three months ago - over 100,000 teenagers have used the service.

"Nearly three quarters of teenagers say they like to get confidential advice," said public health minister, Gillian Merron. "NHS Teen LifeCheck gives teenagers the support to make decisions and choices that can help them to be healthy and happy."

Comments from users include: "This really helps me because I'm suffering from a little bit of depression", and "It helped me understand about being careful about what you do".

Tags: Child Health | NHS | UK News

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