We invest in adolescents: reaping benefits now, into future adult life and for the next generation of children.
Adolescents account for a quarter of the world’s population, the largest cohort of 10–24-year-olds in history. In countries like Papua New Guinea and Myanmar, adolescents account for almost a third of the population. This generation provides unprecedented opportunities to advance global health, gender equality and sustainable development.
Adolescence is a critical period of human development. It coincides with new health needs and opportunities to improve health and wellbeing into adulthood and for the next generation of children.
Most of the world’s adolescents live in Asia and the Pacific. They experience a high burden of preventable poor health. They also face substantial barriers to accessing services and supports that respond to their unique needs.
Adolescents are also often excluded from research and decision-making about programs and policies that affect their lives.
Our group focuses on:
sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender (including menstrual health)
mental health
non-communicable diseases.
Our approach includes collaborative research, co-design and innovation with young people.
We work with young people as experts, partners and advocates in understanding their health needs and in developing and evaluating new solutions. We also focus on youth-led and community-based approaches, and strategies to strengthen adolescent-centred health systems.
This project provide formative research to support the delivery of life-skills education and hygiene improvements through monastic schools in Magway, Myanmar.
Despite the incentives to invest in adolescent health, progress for the world’s adolescents has been slow.
This study follows Indonesian adolescents to inform non-communicable disease policy and programming.
While much of the policy focus in Southeast Asia has been on ending traditional forms of child marriage, there is increasing recognition that not all early unions are non-consensual or formal.
We aim to improve understanding of the drivers and pathways to adolescent pregnancy in Southeast Asia.
The project works to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health in the Magwey Region, Myanmar.
BMJ Open
Chad Hughes, Julie Hennegan, Elissa Kennedy, Laura Dunstan, Alexandra Head, Nick Scott, Peter Azzopardi, Julie Hennegan, Elissa Kennedy, Laura Dunstan
The Lancet Global Health
Nisaa Wulan, Elissa Kennedy, Tom Tidhar, Karly Cini, Liz Comrie‐Thomson, Nick Scott, Peter Azzopardi, Elissa Kennedy, Tom Tidhar, Karly Cini
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific
Peter Azzopardi, Julie Hennegan, Elissa Kennedy
Asian Journal of Psychiatry
Dominic Carroll, Nisaa Wulan, Karly Cini, Peter Azzopardi, Dominic Carroll, Nisaa Wulan, Karly Cini, Peter Azzopardi, Zay Yar Swe, Dominic Carroll
BMJ Global Health
Stephen Bell, Marie Habito, Elissa Kennedy
Culture Health & Sexuality
Elissa Kennedy, Steve Bell
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health
Samuel McEwen, Vinay Menon, Miika Coppard, Elissa Kennedy, Peter Azzopardi, Vinay Menon, Miika Coppard, Samuel McEwen, Elissa Kennedy, Peter Azzopardi
Report
Empowering girls, securing futures: the investment case for preventing adolescent pregnancy and child marriage in South-East Asia and the PacificReport
Report
Review of menstrual health and hygiene in the East Asia and Pacific regionEvidence for improved menstrual health.
Menstrual health evidence websiteThis webpage is affiliated with the Centre for Adolescent Health, which is part of the Melbourne Children’s campus in Parkville, Australia, which brings together three key partners for research and education: The Royal Children’s Hospital, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics.
Global adolescent health website