Adolescent Health
Our ideas about adolescence have changed drastically in the past century, and its definitions can vary greatly across cultures and societies. Within the adolescent health field, individuals in their second decade of life and early 20s are viewed as whole persons who should be nurtured and valued during their transition to a healthy, productive adulthood. During this time of biological, social, and psychological development, adolescents are in the healthiest period of their lives; however, for a wide variety of reasons, this is also the time when individuals are most likely to engage in risk-taking behavior, some of which may have life-long impacts on their health. Adolescents are adversely affected by many serious health outcomes ranging from HIV/STIs to violence to poor mental/emotional health and although much research has focused on the threats to adolescent health, several protective factors have been identified that can help youth thrive.
Adolescence is a time of great vulnerability, especially for populations of special consideration including youth of color, GLBT youth, youth with special health care needs, homeless/precariously housed youth, and youth that are or have been involved with the juvenile justice system.
The interest and investment in adolescent health is reflected in the Healthy People 2010 objectives. 107 of the 467 HP goals are addressed in the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health by 2010 and cover a wide array of issues within 21 critical health objectives, under the umbrellas of:
- mortality
- unintentional injury
- violence
- substance abuse and mental health
- reproductive health, and
- chronic diseases.
Adolescent Health Programming
There are countless programs addressing the needs of adolescents locally, regionally, and across the country and globe. The vastness of their foci reflects the emerging issues confronting youth today. While some programs meet a direct need and focus on a specific issue, other programs focus on the dissemination of effective programming to support healthy youth development.
GLBT Youth:
Global:
Governmental Organizations:
Healthy Youth Development:
Homeless/Precariously Housed Youth:
Juvenile Justice:
Mental Health:
Reproductive Health:
School Health:
Substance Abuse:
Youth Violence:
Policy Issues
Adolescent health policy, especially reproductive health policy, has been entrenched in an intense debate during the past few decades. These debates have not included youth participation nor have the decisions consistently reflected scientific evidence, yet these decisions have had a great impact upon the health and health access outcomes of young people. Some areas of interest that have become part of a highly politicized debate included abstinence-only vs. comprehensive sexuality education and minor's access to contraception and other reproductive health services. Other areas of interest include youth violence prevention, mental health promotion/prevention, juvenile justice, and tobacco and substance abuse prevention. The National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health by 2010 has a wonderful resource for individuals wishing to track adolescent health policy. For further information about these policy areas, please see the programming links above.
Emerging Issues in Research
In recent years, the field of adolescent research has grown rapidly. Researchers have gained significant insight into adolescent brain and asset development, along with risk taking and health related behaviors. For example, the Youth Risk Behaviors Surveillance System (YRBSS) is one of the most commonly referenced data sources for adolescent health. While not all states participate in YRBSS, many, like Minnesota , administer similar surveys of middle and high school students. Another widely used source of data is the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a longitudinal study of young adults conducted at University of North Carolina . Even with the increase in knowledge about adolescents, much work remains to be done to better understand youth and bridge the gaps in data that exist for this dynamic and vulnerable population.
Other data sources include:
There are also a number of programs dedicated to adolescent health research:
Journals:
University of Minnesota 's Involvement
Faculty :
- Linda Bearinger, PhD, RN, MS : health promotion with vulnerable adolescents, multiethnic issues in adolescent health
- Sonya Brady, PhD : youth health risk behavior, promotion of health protective behavior, adolescent health policy
- Lynn Bretl, MPP : adolescent health policy
- Kathy Brothen, MA : pregnancy/HIV/STI prevention
- Ed Ehlinger, MD, MSPH : health of college students
- Wendy Hellerstedt, PhD, MPH : adolescent reproductive health and pregnancy prevention
- Leslie Lytle, PhD, RD : youth health promotion research
- Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD : adolescent health and nutrition, obesity and eating disorder prevention
- Michael Resnick, PhD : adolescent resiliency, adolescent risk and protective factors, teen pregnancy prevention, youth violence prevention
- Jamie Stang, PhD, MPH, RD : child and adolescent nutrition, eating disorders treatment
- Mary Story, PhD : child and adolescent nutrition, obesity prevention in children and adolescents
- Lisa Turnham, MPH : sexuality education, adolescent pregnancy prevention
- Grit Youngquist, MA : sexual violence prevention
Courses :
- Adolescent Health
- Advocacy & Children's Rights
- Sexuality Education: Criteria, Curricula, and Controversy
- Child & Adolescent Nutrition
- Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Obesity
Healthy Generations :
University Resources :
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