Final answer:
During adolescence, morbidity typically decreases due to the end of childhood illnesses and the relative health of adolescents, but mortality can increase because of risk-taking behaviors, accidents, and violence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Morbidity refers to the state of being diseased or the presence of illness within a population. During adolescence, health issues vary, but generally, morbidity rates may decrease due to the resolution of childhood illnesses and the relative health of individuals at this stage. However, mortality rates can increase during adolescence due to factors such as risk-taking behaviors, accidents, and in some cases, violence or substance abuse, making the correct answer to the student's question: a. Decreased morbidity, increased mortality. These trends are critically monitored by health professionals and are reported in documents like the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), which is an epidemiological digest published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).