Members of the Adolescent Health (AH) Workgroup have expertise in areas including adolescent and young adult health, behavioral health, and youth development. They created the objectives related to adolescent health, and they’ll provide data to track progress toward achieving these objectives throughout the decade.
This workgroup has been part of the Healthy People initiative since 2020 and was formed to address key topics related to healthy adolescent development.
Objective Status
1 Target met or exceeded
1 Improving
2 Little or no detectable change
5 Getting worse
1 Baseline only
3 Developmental
11 Research
Adolescent Health Workgroup Objectives (24)
Little or no detectable change
Little or no detectable change
About the Workgroup
Approach and Rationale
Healthy People 2030 focuses on supporting young people to achieve optimal development and well-being while avoiding behaviors that can lead to acute and chronic health risks. Creating environments where adolescents have access to adolescent-appropriate health care, are supported by caring adults,1,2 and are encouraged to enjoy learning and achieve school success can help promote optimal adolescent development.3,4
The main developmental task of adolescence is to transition from childhood to adulthood. Transitions during this period include biological and physical development associated with puberty. Significant neurodevelopmental growth allows adolescents to master more complex sets of inquiry and negotiate new ideas and challenges. Families, peers, schools, communities, and care systems can help shape the physical and mental health of adolescents in positive ways. For example, they can encourage the development of strong and positive relationships with peers while maintaining loving, supportive connections with family and other caring adults.
The objectives selected by the AH Workgroup are based on research that links experiences in adolescence with improved lifelong health. Preventive health care that addresses the emerging need for confidentiality and progressive independence sets the stage for successful transitions to adult health care settings.5 Supporting school success by encouraging mentorship from caring adults2,6,7 and limiting food insecurity by offering school breakfasts8 are ways to enhance learning. Obtaining higher education and gaining employment are associated with improved health and well-being, as well as reduced risk for premature death.3,4 Ultimately, supporting the positive development of young people can help ensure a healthy and productive future adult population.9
Learn More
Citations
English, A., & Gudeman, R. (2016). Understanding Legal Aspects of Care. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/document/428286645/Neinstein-s-Adolescent-and-Young-Adult-Health-Care-A-Practical-Guide-6th-Ed
Sieving, R., & McRee, et al. (2017). Youth–Adult Connectedness: A Key Protective Factor for Adolescent Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(3 Suppl 3), S275-S278. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.07.037
Community Preventive Services Task Force. (2013). Promoting Health Equity Through Education Programs and Policies: High School Completion Programs. Retrieved from https://www.thecommunityguide.org/sites/default/files/assets/Health-Equity-High-School-Completion.pdf [PDF - 279 KB]
Rasberry, C.N., et al. (2017). Health-Related Behaviors and Academic Achievement Among High School Students – United States, 2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 66, 921-927. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6635a1
Adams, S. H., Park, M. J., Twietmeyer, L., Brindis, C. D. & Irwin, C. E. (2018). Increasing Delivery of Preventive Services to Adolescents and Young Adults: Does the Preventive Visit Help? Journal of Adolescent Health. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.03.013
Bayer, A., Grossman, J.B., & Dubois, D.L. (2015). Using Volunteer Mentors to Improve the Academic Outcomes of Underserved Students: The Role of Relationships. Journal of Community Psychology, 43(4), 408–429. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21693
DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How Effective Are Mentoring Programs for Youth? A Systematic Assessment of the Evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(2), 57-91. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1529100611414806
Food Research & Action Center. (2018) Increasing Breakfast Participation to Improve Student Health. Retrieved from http://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/increasing-breakfast-participation-to-improve-student-health.pdf [PDF - 123 KB]
University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of Behavior Science, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. (2018). Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development. Retrieved from https://www.blueprintsprograms.com/
