The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says that half of all deaths of young people, aged between 10 and 24, in the Caribbean are due to homicide, road traffic fatalities and suicide – all of which are preventable.
PAHO in a report titled, “The Health of Adolescents and Youth in the Americas: Implementation of the Regional Strategy and Plan of Action on Adolescent and Youth Health 2010-2018,” analyses the latest available data related to the health of young people from 48 countries and territories in the Americas, including the Caribbean.
The report includes information on what the young people die from, what illnesses they suffer from, their sexual and reproductive health, substance use, nutrition and levels of physical activity.
PAHO said around 237 million young people aged 10-24 years live in the Americas, comprising a quarter of the region’s population and that, despite representing such a huge priority demographic, however, youth mortality rates have only slightly reduced between 2000 and 2015.
