Anno. 2003, Volume. 10, N. 1, Pag. 6-20

Parte prima: Lo stato di salute

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The first part of the report provides an overview of the health of children and adolescents in Italy. The available data suffer from delays in accessibility, incompleteness in coverage and lack of precise definitions, making analysis and international and intraregional comparison difficult. However, in spite of many limitations, the available information clearly draws the attention to a few critical issues: the unacceptably high neonatal mortality rate in many southern regions; the unacce ptably high, particularly in northern Italy, mortality among adolescents and young adults, mainly due to traffic accidents; the high burden represented by mental health problems; the increasing trend of overweight and asthma; the persistent social inequalities in health outcomes, and the urgent need for a better information system.