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Describes the role of scientist-administrators who are the "program staff" of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Discusses the priorities and mechanisms for supporting research within this organization. Considers how scientist-administrators contribute to the advancement of science. (JS)

The demographics of fertility-related behavior of youth ages 10-18 are reviewed. Data were collected from U.S. vital statistics, and birth rates, contraceptive use, sexual behavior, number and types of sexual partners, patterns of sexual initiation and sexual intercourse, and sexually transmitted diseases were examined. Despite data limitations, the demographic profile of adolescent sexual intercourse is striking. Age clearly is the single most important predictor of sexual debut., Women younger than age 20 have been having babies for thousands of years. In the U.S. in 1967, 120 of every 1,000 women ages 18-19 had a baby each year. [...]

Presents an overview of changes in childbearing and fertility-regulating behavior that relate to policy issues concerned with child development and well-being. Discusses developmental consequences of "unwantedness" and adolescent childbearing. Also considers special needs of children in developing countries. (Author/GC)

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage and an opportunity to set a positive course for future health and well-being. Adolescence may be the "last best chance" to address some of the behaviors that can have significant repercussions for an individual's health trajectory, specifically the path to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Why should NCDs be discussed in a journal devoted to adolescent development? The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified four behavioral factors that account for at least half of the risk for these diseases--tobacco, excessive alcohol use, unhealthy diet or obesity, and sedentary lifestyle. And herein lies the connection to adolescents. Adolescents are typically healthy and only seek out sexual and reproductive health services. But adolescence is also when lifelong health behaviors are adopted. Two of the four modifiable risk factors--tobacco and alcohol--are most commonly initiated in adolescence. The other two risk factors--diet and exercise--could produce lifetime health benefits if adopted as positive behaviors in adolescence. Therefore, adolescence may be the last best chance to instill positive behaviors. By the "last best chance" the author means that adolescence is not necessarily the "best" chance, because it is good to build some of these positive behaviors, such as good nutrition, earlier in life. Nor is it the "only" chance, because people do try to improve their health behaviors later in life, albeit with more difficulty as by then these are often well-entrenched patterns. But adolescence is a window of opportunity. The broader health and development community must not adopt a "wait and see" mindset by failing to implement preventive health strategies that address risk factors for future morbidity and mortality patterns. While we must attend to the need for diagnosis and treatment of NCDs, working with adolescents provides a unique opportunity to prevent the wider spread of NCDs by cultivating protective factors.

Background Communication concerning sexual matters between parents and their adolescent children serve as a protective factor and exerts a favourable influence on adolescents' sexual behaviours. As limited data regarding parent-adolescent sex communication are available in China, this study was undertaken with the aim of exploring the patterns and related factors of such communication and its relationship with adolescent sexual behaviour. Study design Community-based data were collected in 2001 in Changchun, China. Unmarried adolescents 15-19 years of age (322 young men and 360 young women) were included in a survey using self-administered questionnaires. Results Overall, sex communication with parents was relatively infrequent. There was a significant gender difference in the pattern of sex communication, with male adolescents being more likely to talk with fathers and female adolescents with mothers. Logistic regression analysis revealed that gender of adolescents, quality of communication with mothers on general topics, and adolescent's perception of mother being the main source of sex knowledge were predictive of the level of sex communication between mother and her adolescent children. Conclusion This study reveals that communication regarding sexual matters between parents and adolescents was limited in China. The quality of communication on general topics between parents and their adolescent children is one of the important factors related to sex communication between them. It is essential that Chinese parents are better informed and skilled to be involved, in addition to school and community, in the sex education of their adolescent children. They should be able to communicate appropriately on sex-related issues with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the consequences of early childbearing. Early childbearers were not the most advantaged or motivated young women but, even controlling for past aptitude, goals, and grades, an early birth was an additional hurdle. Early findings indicated that babies of young mothers are harmed less by the young age of the mother than by the social concomitants of early childbearing. Studies showed that with high quality care, birthweight outcomes were no worse than for older women.