HIP Teens - Your Body, Your Life
HIP has lots of information about what teens want to know, covering many health topics from visiting your doctor to your sexuality. Being healthy means understanding and dealing with the changes in your body and mind. With all the changes you are going through, there may be many more choices and decisions to make. Click on any link below to read more.
Jump To:- Alcohol & Drugs
- Fitness & Diet
- Health Risks
- Immunizations
- Mental Health
- Sexuality and STDs
- Smoking/Tobacco Use
- Teen Screen program
- Visiting Your Doctor
- More Topics
Teen Screen program
Doctors can help detect depression and other mental disorders in their teen patients ages 11 to 18 by participating in Columbia University’s Teen Screen program, a recognized national model for teen mental health screening.
Alcohol & Drugs
As a teenager, there may be times when you're tempted to try something that you probably know you shouldn't. These days it may seem like alcohol and drugs can be found everywhere and that a lot of people are using them. Although most teens know to just say 'No', many are still tempted by the excitement or escape that alcohol and/or drugs seem to offer. Learn the facts about alcohol and drugs and how harmful they are for you.
Fitness & Diet
No matter what your age, it's always important to eat well and get plenty of exercise to stay healthy and in good shape. Get the facts on healthy eating, dieting, eating disorders and more.
- Eating Disorders
- Exercise & Activity
- Know Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
- My Pyramid Plan
- Obesity/Diabetes
- Weight Loss & Healthy Eating
Health Risks
Heredity is the passing of genes or traits from one generation to the next. You inherit your parents' genes, which help make you the person you are today (i.e., color of eyes, hair). Your family health history can help identify risks for genetic diseases. The link below provides a tool to help you collect your family history. Share this information with your doctor during your next visit. You and your doctor can work together as a team to develop disease prevention strategies that are right for you.
Immunizations
You're never too old to get shots. Many teens don't know they should be immunized against diseases because they think shots are only for children. Getting immunized is a lifelong and life-protecting job. During your next doctor's visit, ask whether you've had all the shots you need.
Mental Health
Adolescence is a time of mental, emotional and social changes. As a teen, you may come face to face with difficult situations that can cause you to feel stressed, frustrated or sad. You may feel pressure to be liked, to do well in school and to get along with your family and friends. If you are feeling extremely stressed, sad, hopeless or worthless, these could be warning signs of a mental health problem. Mental health problems are real and painful. It is during these times when you need a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on. Speak to someone you can be open with -- your parents, teachers, coaches or friends -- about what's on your mind, and always remember that your doctor can offer you help, too.
- Anxiety
- Body Image
- Cutting
- Dating & Relationships
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Family Therapy
- Managing Stress
- Suicide
Sexuality & STDs
The decision to have sex or not is a very personal matter. However, if you're going to have sex or if you're already having sex, it's important that you know the health risks. In addition to pregnancy, getting one or more sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is a real possibility. Learning more about these things will help you make smart choices and avoid the bad ones.
- Contraception
- Date Rape
- Domestic Violence
- HIV/AIDS
- Herpes
- Menstrual Cycle
- Sexuality
- STDs
- Unplanned Pregnancy
- Visiting Your OB/GYN
Smoking/Tobacco Use
Smoking is bad for your health. Some of the side effects of smoking are: bad skin, bad breath and yellow teeth. Chewing tobacco is not an acceptable substitute, either. Over time, smoking and other tobacco use can lead to cancer, emphysema and heart disease. It's important that you learn about the dangers of tobacco. If you smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco and want to quit, lots of information is available to you.
Secondhand Smoke
Breathing in someone else's secondhand smoke is also very harmful to your health. It contains thousands of toxic or cancerous chemicals that increase your risk for heart disease, lung infections and cancer. If you don't smoke, learn more about what you can do to avoid secondhand smoke.
- Dangers of Chewing Tobacco & Snuff
- Effects of Smoking Cigarettes
- Facts About Smoking
- Quitting
- Secondhand Smoke
Visiting your doctor
Visiting your doctor as a teenager can be quite different from what you experienced in your younger years. Many health issues that might have been simpler before can be more complicated now. When you were younger your parents took care of scheduling your doctor's appointments and talking to your doctor about your health needs. Now that you are getting older, it's important that you take more responsibility for your health. There may be times when you're uncomfortable talking to your parents or even friends about certain topics. That's where your doctor can help.
More Topics
From skin breakouts to getting enough sleep, read more about other health topics.
