Adolescence is a critical growth period in which youth develop essential skills that prepare them for adulthood. Prevention and intervention programs are designed to meet the needs of adolescents who require additional support and promote healthy behaviors and outcomes. To ensure the success of these efforts, it is essential that they include reliably identifiable techniques, strategies, or practices that have been proven effective. Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes: Thriving in the 21st Century identifies key program factors that can improve health outcomes related to adolescent behavior and provides evidence-based recommendations toward effective implementation of federal programming initiatives. This study explores normative adolescent development, the current landscape of adolescent risk behavior, core components of effective programs focused on optimal health, and recommendations for research, programs, and policies.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON APPLYING LESSONS OF OPTIMAL ADOLESCENT HEALTH TO IMPROVE BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH
• BOARD ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES
• Acknowledgments
• Summary
  • SELECTION OF BEHAVIORS AND RELATED OUTCOMES
  • THE OPTIMAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK
  • ADOLESCENT RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR
  • TRENDS IN SELECTED BEHAVIORS AND RELATED OUTCOMES
  • CORE COMPONENTS OF PROGRAMS AND INTERVENTIONS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROMISING APPROACHES
• 1. Introduction
  • STUDY OVERVIEW
  • BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAM
  • STUDY APPROACH
  • DATA SOURCES
  • DEFINITIONS
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Normative Adolescent Development
  • CONCLUSIONS OF THE PROMISE OF ADOLESCENCE: REALIZING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL YOUTH (2019)
  • ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT ACCORDING TO THE FIVE DOMAINS OF THE OPTIMAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. The Current Landscape of Adolescent Risk Behavior
  • THE NATURE OF ADOLESCENT RISK TAKING
  • ALCOHOL USE, TOBACCO USE, AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR: TRENDS AND INFLUENCES
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Core Components of Programs Focused on Optimal Health
  • THE CORE COMPONENTS APPROACH TO EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE
  • THE COMMITTEE'S APPROACH
  • RESULTS OF THE COMMITTEE'S SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
  • RESULTS OF CORE COMPONENTS PAPER REVIEW
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Recommendations and Promising Approaches
  • RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESEARCH
  • RECOMMENDATION FOR OASH PROGRAMS
  • PROMISING APPROACHES
  • REFERENCES
• Appendix A. Literature Search Strategy
• Appendix B. MyVoice Methodology
• Appendix C. Comparison of Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) Survey Items on Sexual Behavior
• Appendix D. Public Information-Gathering Session Agenda
• Appendix E. Biosketches of Committee Members and Staff

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2020). Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes: Thriving in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25552.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25552

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020932720

Additional copies of this publication are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

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