Adolescent health in Tower Hamlets

In 2018 and 2019, Healthwatch Tower Hamlets engaged with 346 adolescents aged between 14 to 18. They used multiple engagement opportunities to achieve this, such as conducting surveys, interviews and workshops, and using targeted outreach events. They looked at adolescents' attitudes to health and their experiences of primary care, secondary care, mental health, and hospital services.

They found that peer pressure can be an influencing factor on their dietary choices, as well as the cost of food. Half of respondents said they ate fast food at least once a week, and only a minority were actively taking steps to improve their diet. Adolescents were likely to use a GP as their first port of call to most of their health-related issues. Most young people spoke to their friends about their mental health and well-being, however about a third said they had never discussed it with anyone. Opinions were mixed for hospital services, which is similar to the general population.