FEATURE TEEN HEALTH WEEK 8 1 0 2 , 3 2 9 1 H C R A M S I T he Global Teen Health Week is an annual week-long designation to raise the profile of adolescent health. With more than a billion adolescents worldwide, this age group comprises one of the largest segments of the world's population. The rapid physical and emotional growth of this age group differentiates it from the needs of children and adults. Health behaviors resulting in illness later in life often start in the teen years. The idea for a Teen Health Week stems from a movement that began in 2015 in Pennsylvania developed jointly by Real Talk with Dr. Offutt, the Center for Education and Public Initiatives at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The PA Teen Health Week went on for two consecutive years since 2016 and the state remained the only one to celebrate Teen Health Week. While there are observances for specific teen health issues (e.g. Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, Youth Violence Prevention Week) PA Teen Health Week and now the Global Teen Health Week, are unique in that they focus on a holistic view of teen health. 8 Lehigh County Health & Medicine | WINTER 2018