Complications during childbirth used to be the number one cause of death among teen girls. However, a new study found most teen girls, between the ages of 15 and 19, are dying from something completely preventable. Parents need to know the facts to help save these girls from pointless death.
A World Health Organization report released in 2014 showed that girls in this age group were more likely to die from suicide than disease or car accidents.
The report found that the leading causes of death for 15- to 19-year-old girls are:
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Self-harm
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Maternal conditions
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HIV/AIDS
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Road injury
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Diarrhoeal diseases
According to The Telegraph UK, Psychiatrist Vikram Patel believes the problem is with gender discrimination:
“The most probable reason is gender discrimination. Young women’s lives [in South East Asia] are very different from young men’s lives in almost every way.”
There was one region where suicide was not the leading cause of death and that is Africa. Birth complications and HIV rates are extremely high and cause a majority of deaths.
The leading causes of death for teen boys are:
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Road injury
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Interpersonal violence
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Self-harm
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HIV/AIDS
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Drowning
Roseanne Pearce at Childline, a UK group that works with teens told The Telegraph. “75% of the girls who contact the service with suicidal feelings are either planning or have attempted an overdose, compared with just over half of boys…Boys are much more likely to be planning or have attempted to hang themselves – a method with a far lower chance of survival.”
