Health wise

Picture of a boy

Wednesday 12 March 2008

To mark anti smoking day, n2k looks at some of the health issues that are affecting young people today and what you can do to be healthier!

You want to be healthier

The good news is that a recent survey by exam board OCR has found that, despite reports of growing obesity levels, teenagers are increasingly interested in healthy living. Apparently 75 per cent of young people are interested in being healthy these days whilst only 24 per cent were that bothered back in the 90’s!

So what are some of the health issues for teenagers today?

Anxious youth

Do you often feel stressed out? The OCR exam board research also found that today’s younger generation face far more pressure and increased anxiety than their parents or grandparents ever did.

Another recent survey called Tell2Us, also showed that 51 per cent young people said exams are their biggest worry, ahead of schoolwork, being healthy and the future.

No smoke, hear

We all know the effects it can have on your skin, teeth and body but did you know smoking can also affect your hearing?

Richard Moss, a Hearing Aid Audiologist and founder of the Oxford Hearing Centre has just published research that shows that young people are about eight times more likely to experience hearing loss if they smoke than non smokers!

Junk nasty

What with exams, school or college work and everything else going on, many young people choose junk food as a quick meal. However according to a recent study by Linkoping University, people who regularly eat junk food are in danger of damaging their livers in as little as one month.

So what steps can young people take to be healthier?

Butt out

Did you know that 165,000 people quit smoking in the UK between April and November last year? With the new anti smoking laws and age of sale of tobacco now up from 16 to 18, the battle is on to stop young people smoking. The campaign is set to step up in 2008 with graphic images of the effects of smoking to be printed on tobacco products.

If you do smoke and want to quit though there’s plenty of help available to you.

Call the NHS Smoking Helpline for free on -
0800 169 0 169
Order free DVD from 0800 917 6699 for details of how the NHS services available to help you quit.

Water works

Exercising regularly is one of the best ways to stay healthy, and one of the best forms of exercise has to be swimming! If you like swimming why not get involved with the Marie Curie Cancer Care Swimathon which was launched by Hollyoaks star, Roxanne McKee last week?

Swimathon is set to be the largest swimming fundraising event in the world ever, and will take place from the 17th-20th April in over 500 pools throughout the UK.

Well challenging

Technogym and the Youth Sport Trust have launched ‘The Wellness Campaign’ which aims to get more young people thinking about fitness. They idea is to offer five hours of PE and sport a week. England football star, Michael Owen, is involved in the campaign which will include a national schools competition where pupils can design and create an inspiring health and fitness activity programme.