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A Life Worth Living: Teenagers, The Family, and Health

Taipei, Taiwan, ROC - 16 March 1997

The Development of Adolescents Physical and Mental Health in Taiwan

On March 16, 1997, PPSEAWA/ROC conducted a one day conference about the development of adolescents physical and mental health in Taiwan. This event had been planned for about six months. It was very exciting to see more than 250 students between the age 15 to 17 from different high schools, gathered with their parents, teachers and friends to attend this meeting. Nestle Taiwan Ltd., UNESCO, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ROC Council for Economic Planning and Development, and the Home Service of Chinese Women Association all provided us support and encouragement.

We invited four honored quests , Dr. Jing-houng Kuo, Dr. Frank-yuan Huang, Dr. C. C. Cheng and Miss W. S. Chen to speak on different subjects concerning young people.

First, Dr. Jing-houng Kuo, Chairman of The Department of Youth and Child Welfare at Chinese Culture University, ROC analyzed the physical and psychological development of adolescence. He mentioned that 11% of the citizens in Taiwan are the youths between the age of 12 and 18. At this age', physically they are not capable of taking care of themselves completely, and mentally they are not quite mature enough to have sound judgment. That is why careless accidents (such as motorcycle accidents) are the number one cause of death among this age group. Mentally problems are also a major problem for adolescents, since suicide was the third highest cause of death in 1994. Dr. Kuo suggested some of the ways for parents to communicate with their children, including listening to them attentively, trying to accept, respect and share their feelings and thinking, and giving them care, love, and guidance.

The second speaker, Dr. F. Y. Huang, from the Central Police Force University, spoke about "Juvenile Delinquency in Taiwan's Changing Society." He presented to us the shocking numbers of increasing juvenile delinquency in Taiwan's growing industrial and politically-free society. This deteriorating situation of juvenile delinquency raises society's concern. The educational system in Taiwan places too much emphasis on classroom grades; attending proper schools and universities can determine an individual's occupation and eventual career placement. Competition begins early in life; parents even enroll their toddlers in supplementary school. He stated that the onset of delinquency is related to a student's failure in junior high school. Also, the Family system has deteriorated in Taiwan's changing society. The children of many single parents or older parents due to delaying marriage often have a "laissez-faire" attitude toward the upbringing of their children. Only by improving the educational system and outlook, and cultivating proper family relationships can the problems of juvenile delinquency be efficiently reduced.

The third speaker, Dr. Cherng-jye Jeng M.D., raised many modern health issues in his topic "From the Medical Point of View: The Physical and Mental Development of Youths." For instance, because of the improper way of studying and reading, the population of the nearsighted people in Taiwan is increasing every year. From a 1995 report, about 12% of school children in first grade needed eye glasses increasing to 85% of the high school youths. Only 1% of the first graders require more than 300 degrees of visual correction increasing to the 16% are highly nearsighted in high school. National Health Administration has already established "The Student Eyesight Protection Center" to do research, give medical advice, and perform services to all students with eyesight problems. He mentioned the importance of nutrition and food for youths. He especially emphasized the value of natural food, rather than eating Western fast-food habits which could possibly result in malnutrition and obesity. Most emphatically, he urged boys and girls to accept their mental and physical changes, and advised them never to use sex for trade or as a weapon.

Finally, Miss W. S. Chen from the Ministry of Education spoke on "The Promotion of Family Education in Taiwan," She reported that ROC government has established "Family Educational Consulting Centers" in many cities in Taiwan. Their service free telephone number is 080212-885 (885 in Chinese sounds similar to "help! help me!") At this service center, information, books, and video tapes are provided, and diverse indoor and outdoor activities are conducted. Since more people need their services, they also need more volunteers to assist, and more financial support from all sectors.

Each 30-minute speech was followed by a 30-minute discussion period. Some of the questions were quite interesting and sincere. One boy asked Professor Kuo, if young people do not want to stay home, but have no place else to go, where should they go for recreation? Dr. Kuo suggested "involvement in the diverse activities of his own community," but he also agreed that the Government should not only plan for studies, but also for the recreation needs of young people. Some personal questions were also raised, for example another boy asked what is the best age for sex and pregnancy. Dr. C. C. Cheng's answer was "between the age of 25 and 30." One girl wondered the reason why woman always screaming while having sex, and asked if having sex was really that painful? The answer was "It is not necessarily an expressing of 'pain' but rather 'pleasure'." All students seemed to enjoy the discussions, and all answers appeared to satisfy them for the moment.

Reported by Margaret Yan Mar

Last Modified: June 05, 2010