It is important that teenagers develop their awareness of healthy lifestyles and ability to manage health problems independently. This is particularly the case for young people who have chronic health problems that will continue into adulthood.
Young people with ongoing health problems will need to learn all about their condition and how to keep it under control The Kids Health website has a helpful section with advice for these young people, as well as a wide range of other, more general, health information. The website is American, but much of the content is applicable to the UK.
If young people are taking prescription medication, talk about why they are taking it and how much the young person thinks it is helping. Discuss side effects and how to recognise them. Discuss non-prescription medication with them and the importance of reading the dosage information and following it carefully.
There’s a one-stop-shop for teenagers to get advice on a range of health issues including:
- physical health problems
- emotional health
- sexual health
- lifestyle, including drugs, alcohol and smoking
For emotional health and wellbeing, young people can get help and advice from Young Minds, and they might be interested in the Mindfulness for Teens site too.
For First Aid learning, including quizzes to test knowledge, take a look at the Red Cross website.
Please also see this factsheet of basic First Aid for young people
