Program targeting health needs of nation’s 42 million teens: Engaging advocates on US teen health
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* Lindsey Wahowiak

At APHA’s 142nd Annual Meeting and Exposition last year, adolescent health was brought to the forefront, thanks to a new national program that engages advocates on the issue. This year, organizers hope to make it even more of a focal point.

The U.S. Office of Adolescent Health launched its national call to action, Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow, at a session at 2014’s Annual Meeting. At its big reveal, representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and stakeholder organizations announced the program and explained its importance in shaping the future of American health.

![Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/45/7/1.1/F1.medium.gif)

[Figure1](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/45/7/1.1/F1)

Amirah Mitchell, 14, gardens in Lincoln, Massachusetts, in August 2007 as part of a program that engages teens in growing and distributing produce. A new HHS initiative is engaging health workers and other advocates on adolescent health.

Photo by Brian Snyder, courtesy Reuters

The initiative, also known as TAG, calls on health care professionals, public health advocates, families, schools, faith-based communities and more to prioritize the health, well-being and development of adolescents. The U.S. has 42 million young people ages 10 to 19 — a sizable portion of the population with vast health needs, said Carol Ford, MD, fellow and past president of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, who spoke at the 2014 session.

“The uniqueness of adolescent health is related to where they are developmentally in their life,” Ford told *The Nation’s Health.* “They go through puberty, they have many physical changes, develop reproductive maturity. There are dramatic changes in their brain and their thinking, and how they interact with the world socially, from middle school to high school to something beyond.”

Moreover, adolescents’ health is often overlooked in public health and beyond, said Susan Maloney, MHS, director of policy planning and communications at HHS’ Office of Adolescent Health. That is why the office wanted to engage those who have regular contact with adolescents in order to better serve young people, she said.

“This is a population that doesn’t get too much attention,” Maloney told *The Nation’s Health.* “Really, there are missed opportunities to improve adolescent health now and into the future.”

The initiative’s kickoff in 2014 marked the start of a movement to improve approaches to engage adolescents on their own health and development, and public health as a whole.

Since then, the Office of Adolescent Health has launched the “TAG Playbook,” providing the framework to improve health, reduce risky behavior and promote engagement among youths. The playbook outlines “five essentials” for healthy teens:

*   positive connections with supportive people;

*   safe and secure places to live, learn and play;

*   access to high-quality, teen-friendly health care;

*   opportunities for teens to engage as learners, leaders, team members and workers; and

*   coordinated adolescent- and family-centered services, as needed.

Maloney said that leaders from 80 national youth-serving organizations helped identify the five essentials by focusing on what makes a difference in an adolescent’s life. The playbook also answers the question of how each sector can make an impact with teens by laying out specific action steps for professionals and advocates to reach teens in their day-to-day life.

![Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/nathealth/45/7/1.1/F2.medium.gif)

[Figure2](http://www.thenationshealth.org/content/45/7/1.1/F2)

A new playbook offers information to improve health, reduce risky behavior and promote engagement among adolescents.

Photo by Shironosov, courtesy iStockphoto

Now, leading up to APHA’s 143rd Annual Meeting and Exposition in Chicago, initiative leaders are looking forward to their oral presentation sharing newly released materials, as well as short- and long-term goals, Maloney said.

The initiative is exciting for adolescent health advocates, because it encourages adults to get involved with young people in measurable ways, Ford said.

“We know that young people who stay on track in their life are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors,” she said. “(The initiative is) a way to get young people involved in their own health, get them engaged in their own life, school, friends and activities. If they thrive, they’re usually going to make choices that protect their health.”

That engagement is crucial in developing healthy adults, said Paula Gentry, MUP, senior associate for youth engagement with the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Jim Casey initiative was part of the 2014 Annual Meeting panel. Gentry said “authentic” youth engagement has a focus on working with young people as partners in their communities.

Actively listening to teens and their needs, she said, is an important step in building those partnerships. So is speaking with adolescents on a straightforward, but developmentally appropriate, level.

“So often I think youth aren’t engaged because adults aren’t necessarily being upfront,” Gentry told *The Nation’s Health.* “We need to talk about it openly and honestly, and have the hard conversations, so young people think they can talk about…substance use, sexual health and healthy relationships.”

Gentry also noted that adolescents often talk about tough topics and learn about them from and with each other. If adults can offer good, accurate information, teens will have the right information to make positive decisions, she said.

Also on deck for this year’s Annual Meeting presentation: examples of what Maloney called “TAG in action,” public health organizations and advocates that are already working to employ initiative principles in their communities. Maloney said experts sharing their successes will include representatives from local and city public health departments and the state of Colorado.

In the planning for this year’s Annual Meeting, Maloney said the initiative is also having a personal impact on its organizers.

“We had an expert panel come together…at the end of the summer,” Maloney told *The Nation’s Health.* “They all had family vacations, they knew they were coming to this meeting and they made a point of talking with their teen relatives, and they said they usually didn’t do that. It’s a tremendous opportunity for everyone…people can do small things to acknowledge and talk with teens near them.”

Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow will be presented at the Office of Adolescent Health’s session 3122, at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Annual Meeting. To learn more about the initiative, visit [www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/tag](http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/tag).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association