Report calls for new focus on teenagers' health

There should be a new focus on the health of teenagers, the Government's Chief Medical Officer said today.

Launching his annual report, Sir Liam Donaldson highlighted six key factors threatening the health of young people: smoking, alcohol and drugs, accidents and violence, diet, physical activity and sexual health.

Sir Liam said the legal blood alcohol level for drivers under 20 should be reduced to zero.

"The problem is we have tended to look at the health of teenagers in isolated strands," he said.

The Government and health service needed to address the health issues of teenagers in a more integrated way, he said.

"Adolescence can be a challenging time," he said.

"It is a period in which teenagers encounter risks and make hard choices.

"Young people are exposed to behaviours, opportunities and products that have the capacity to harm their health in the short and long term.

"Habits adopted in the teenage years can form behaviour for a lifetime - for example, adolescent binge drinkers are twice as likely as their peers to be dependent on alcohol or taking illicit drugs by the time they reach 30."

The report, entitled On The State Of Public Health called for a national summit on health services for teenagers, more involvement of teenagers in the design of health services and the setting up of a young persons' panel on risk taking in teenage years.

Sir Liam said he believed reducing the legal alcohol limit for teenage drivers would save lives.

His report pointed out that alcohol use increases the risk of a crash for a young driver two and a half times more than for an older driver.