Sustainable Investments in Prevention for Adolescents

Sustainable Investments in Prevention for Adolescents

Investments in the health and well-being of adolescents are particularly qualified to reduce poverty and guarantee a life without physical or mental impairments. In proportion to the expected gain, the necessary expenditures are relatively small: if 75 poor countries1, would spend an average amount of US $ 4.6 per person per year by 2030 on improving the physical, mental and sexual health of young people, this investment could bring a 10-fold economic benefit resulting from the prevention of 12 million juvenile deaths and the avoidance of more than 30 million unwanted pregnancies among adolescents. An investment of US $ 22.6 per person per year for the improvement of secondary education could generate a 12-fold economic benefit and an additional 12 million jobs for adolescents aged 20-24 years.

These and other exemplary projections have now been published in The Lancet for the preparation of the World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington, USA, where financial experts from 188 countries discussed the urgent need for investing in young people (1). The publication by Australian scientists and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides information on the economic and social impact of interventions aimed at improving maternal, newborn and reproductive health services, extending access to prevention and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria, depression, alcohol dependency, epilepsy and HPV-vaccinations as well as measures for the prevention of accidents and child marriages (2).

Read more:

(1) Peter Sheehan et al. Building the foundations for sustainable development: a case for global investment in the capabilities of adolescents. The Lancet. Published: 04/19/2017 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30872-3

(2) cf. Interventions modelled catalogue in (1), Appendix 2. Available via: http://www.thelancet.com/cms/attachment/2091362114/2076066770/mmc1.pdf

Footnote:

[1] Die Elfenbeinküste gehört zu diesen ausgewählten Staaten.

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