Summary

In this study session, you have learned that:

• Adolescence is the period between 10 and 19 years of age (early adolescence is 10-14 years, late adolescence is 15-19 years and post-adolescence is 20-24 years old). Young people are those aged 10-24 years.
• Adolescents undergo significant physical, intellectual and psychosocial changes as they move into adulthood.
• In the process of moving toward independence, young people tend to experiment and test limits, including practising risky behaviour. This makes them especially vulnerable to reproductive health problems.
• Not all young people are equally affected by negative reproductive health problems. Services need to be targeted toward the most vulnerable, who include young girls in rural areas and orphans.
• Many developing countries have populations which are predominantly young and likely to grow considerably in the coming years because of the early age of marriage and low levels of contraceptive use.
• Adolescents and young people have the right to accurate information and appropriate reproductive health services. Laws protect young people’s rights.