A major report on adolescent health urges early moves to help
at-risk children and to counter "an unacceptably high level"
of poor outcomes among teenagers, including pregnancy, crime
and mental health problems.
The report was released yesterday by Prof Sir Peter Gluckman,
chief science adviser to the Prime Minister, and was prepared
by a 21-strong task force co-chaired by Prof Gluckman and
University of Otago research and enterprise deputy
vice-chancellor and psychologist Prof Harlene Hayne.
The 318-page report, including 22 chapters on specific
issues, and devoted to "Improving the Transition for
Adolescents", reflects strong Otago University influence,
with seven other current or former Otago academics among task
force members.
The report was requested by Prime Minister John Key in 2009,
and after concern that New Zealand adolescents had a higher
rate of social morbidity than in many other developed
countries.
Mr Key said yesterday the report highlighted real issues that
had to be faced but were "not easy problems to solve".
"I've asked officials to work with Sir Peter and come up with
a series of recommendations ... it will take some time. It's
not a quick fix and it's going to cost money."
New Zealand had an internationally high rate of teenage
suicide, and its teens took too many risks in things such as
smoking, drunkenness and pregnancy, he said.
The report noted that at least 20% of young New Zealanders
were exhibiting behaviours and emotions or having experiences
that led to long-term consequences, affecting the rest of
their lives.
"New Zealand has a woefully deficient number of mental health
services that are aimed specifically at young people," the
report said.
It was economically sensible to increase the mental health
work force in New Zealand, "particularly those who are
specifically trained to work with children and adolescents",
and better screening to detect those with mental health
issues was recommended.
It was also recommended the purchase price of alcohol be
increased and its marketing and availability be reduced to
limit excessive consumption.
Prof Richie Poulton, director of Otago University's Dunedin
Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, noted
in the report that recent research had prompted policymakers
to reassess the value of investing in educational programmes
aimed at "developing children's self control as a means of
improving population health and productivity, and reducing
crime".
Recent work from the Dunedin study, involving various levels
of self-control among 1000 children, showed it "predicted an
impressive array of life outcomes", including those of
physical and financial health and criminal offending, up to
three decades later.
Investing in related educational programmes, including in
early childhood, would be positive, he said in an interview.
Prof Gordon Harold, the former director of the Otago
University Centre for Research on Children and Families,
highlighted the importance of early identification of at-risk
children in a report chapter.
Prof Harold, who recently took up a senior post at the
University of Leicester, said in an interview early
identification and intervention reduced the likelihood that
"individual children will experience harsh psychological
and/or physical injuries as a consequence of living in risky
family settings" such as involving high levels of
inter-parental conflict.
This would also make it less likely that "harsh, damaging
behaviours will be transferred from one generation to the
next", he said.
Other University of Otago task force members: Dr Tamar
Murachver, psychology; Dr Keren Skegg, psychological
medicine; Dr Sue Bagshaw, Christchurch, Christchurch Health
and Development Study director Prof David Fergusson and Dr
Joseph Boden.
The concerns
• Concerns highlighted in the report include.
As a result of physical maltreatment from 1998-2002, 590
children were hospitalised after an assault; of those
children, 46 later died.
• Among OECD countries, New Zealand has one of the highest
rates of child death from maltreatment, with 1.2 child deaths
per 100,000 children annually; 4-6 times worse than the
leading industrial countries' average.
• New Zealand children in their first year of life have the
highest rates of all age groups for death from assault; Maori
children face twice the statistical risk of death by assault
as non-Maori children
Key recommendations
• A primary prevention or "life course" approach be taken to
reduce the morbidity linked with adolescence.
• Targeted investment in evidence-based education, prevention
and treatment programmes directed towards at-risk children
and their families is cost-effective.
• Targeted investment needed to address educational
underachievement.
• Additional capacity needed in mental health workforce,
particularly those trained to work with children and
adolescents, to provide effective screening and treatment for
the substantial group of young people whose transition to
adulthood is marred by mental health problems.
• Strategic national approach to reducing depression in
adolescence.
• Measures to increase purchase price of alcohol, restrict
its marketing and availability; more tightly regulated
drink-driving.
• Develop policies and practices to address issues resulting
in Maori and Pasifika young people being at greater risk of
morbidity.
- Additional reporting by NZPA
john.gibb@odt.co.nz
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