The Centre for Adolescent Health has a longstanding relationship with the World Health Organisation including the Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development in Geneva, Switzerland as well as with the various WHO regional offices.
Dr Mick Creati, paediatrician, Centre for Adolescent Health, spent his sabbatical leave in 2008/09 as a consultant to the WHO in Geneva. At this time he contributed to the development of the ‘Adolescent Job Aid’, which has recently been published.

The Adolescent Job Aid is a desk reference tool for health workers (trained and registered doctors, nurses and clinical officers) in low and middle income countries that provides precise, step-by-step guidance on how to deal with adolescents when they present with a problem or a concern about their health or development. Its broader goal is to help health workers respond to their adolescent patients more effectively and with greater sensitivity. It comprises three main parts:

Part 1: The clinical interaction between the adolescent and the health worker.

Part 2: Algorithms, communication tips and frequently asked questions on 25 presentations related to developmental conditions, pregnancy-related conditions, genital conditions including sexually transmitted infections, HIV and other common presentations.

Part 3: Information for adolescents and their parents or other accompanying adults on important health and development issues.

The Adolescent Job Aid is intended to be used along with the Orientation Programme on Adolescent Health, a tool which is being used in many countries.

Adolescent Job Aid reference tool PDF 1.52MB

Violence and social relational aggression are global problems that become prominent in early adolescence. An extensive literature examines the social contextual and biological influences on violence and antisocial behavior in youth. A potentially important but less studied influence is puberty. Through funding from the MCRI’s Healthy Development theme, we have analysed data from the International Youth Development Study to examine cross-sectional associations between pubertal stage and adolescent violent behavior and social relational aggression. The International Youth Development Study is comprised two state-wide representative samples of students in grades 5, 7 and 9  (N = 5,769) in Washington State in the United States and Victoria, Australia, drawn as a 2-stage cluster sample in each state. The study uses the same methods in each state to conduct a school-administered, self-report student survey measuring behavioral outcomes including past year violent behavior (measured as attacking or beating up another person) and social relational aggression (excluding peers from the group, threatening to spread lies or rumors), as well as a comprehensive range of risk and protective factors and pubertal development. Pubertal was stage associated with higher rates of violent behavior and social relational aggression, with the latter association seen only at younger ages. Puberty is an important phase to implement prevention programs to reduce adolescent violent and antisocial behaviors.

For further information

Professor Susan Sawyer from the Centre Adolescent Health, RCH was invited to be part of a lunch held a few times a year at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. They have run a Guest Chef Program at Peter MacCallum for the past 10 years where a Guest Chef hosts a lunch for a small group of patients in the centre’s board room. 

The basis of their Guest Chef Program is to encourage people to think about the importance of food in our daily lives and particularly to think about the impact of illness in the ability of our patients to enjoy food, not only for its nutritional value but for the pleasure that food brings to all of us – which in the company of friends and family is part of the celebration of life.  On each occasion, they invite 12 or so patients with a partner or friend.

This year, the focus of the lunch was on adolescents and young adults with cancer, through the Peter MacCallum’s onTrac@PeterMac program. Prof Sawyer was invited to chair the statewide committee on AYA (adolescent and young adult) cancer. Mr Tobie Puttock from “Fifteen Melbourne” was the Guest Chef.  

Notable Melbourne chefs who have previously donated their time to cook for the patients are, Guy Grossi, Teage Ezard, Elizabeth Chong, Michael Lambie, to name but a few.  

Guest Chef at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

A new program was launched by Diabetes Australia on 26^th July 2010 aimed at reversing that trend for the 10,000 Australians aged 15-25 years with Type 1 Diabetes. Professor Susan Sawyer, director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital, said young people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes were at greater risk of mental illnesses such as depression than their peers, and needed encouragement to look after their health.

Article in The Age: Wake up call – The Age 290710
Diabetes Australia Vic media release