Colliding epidemics of communicable and non-communicable diseases during adolescence in South Africa

Over the past 50 years, the improvement of health outcomes in infants and young children has received more attention than that in adolescents, primarily because adolescence is not typically associated with ill health. However, this picture is rapidly changing, with the present generation of adolescents already encountering diverse challenges, with different biosocial and neurocognitive responses compared with their parents and grandparents. These transitions are influenced by geographical, cultural, economic and genetic contexts. This issue of CME includes the final two articles on the topic of adolescent health.