National Initiative

• Overview
• Strategies
• The 21 Objectives
• Performance Measures Comparsion
• Health People 2010
• Resources (how to, funding, data)

 Overview

This Initiative provides a focus on adolescent health for the United States. It grew out of the national effort begun in 1998 to develop Healthy People 2010 objectives for adolescents and young adults. A Core Workgroup analyzed all 467 Healthy People 2010 objectives and determined that 107 were important for adolescents and young adults (age 10-24). Of these, 21 objectives were identified as critical based on two criteria:

• • They are critical health outcomes or contributing behaviors; and
  • State-level data are or will soon be available to measure these outcomes.

Return to top

  Strategies

The National Initiative focuses on enabling States to work with influential social institutions to achieve the critical health objectives. This is done through 4 overarching strategies:

1. 1. Develop and distribute resources
      • Publish an annual review of state health policies
      • Develop an on-line database of funding sources for adolescent health programs (Healthy Youth Funding Database)
      • Develop a companion document to the National Initiative
   2. Analyze, synthesize and apply scientific information
      • Identify best polices, practices and partners to attain the critical health objectives
      • Integrate youth development efforts
      • Implement and apply findings from Healthy Futures: Community-based Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health .
      • Increase state core capacity in adolescent health program and service delivery
      • Convene all State Adolescent Health Coordinators yearly
   3. Report progress
      • Publish state progress on critical health objectives every 2 years
      • Publish state adolescent health performance measures
      • Broadcast the National Healthy People 2010 progress reviews on adolescents and young adults to state health departments

Return to top

  The 21 Objectives

Healthy People 2010
21 Critical Objectives for Adolescents and Young Adults

CHO...Critical health outcome
B...Behaviors that substantially contribute to important health outcomes
LHI...Leading health indicators
++ provide link to these objectives on the Health People 2010 website

Return to top

  Performance Measure Comparison

The chart presented here compares existing MCH performance measures to the 21 objectives that have been indentified as critical for the health of adolescents from the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health by the Year 2010. The chart shows that overlaps do occur - at both state and national levels.

§ Numbers reflect the number of states with this performance measure
* includes intentional injury
** some address repeat pregnancy

Return to top

  Healthy People 2010

This is a comprehensive set of health objectives for the nation to achieve over the 1 st decade of the new century. It can be used by many different people, States, communities, professional organizations, and others to develop programs to improve health.

Healthy People 2010 identifies a wide range of public health priorities and specific, measurable objectives that are designed to measure progress over time. There are 2 overarching goals and 28 focus areas:

Goals...

• Increase quality and years of healthy life
• Eliminate health disparities

Focus areas...

• Access to quality health services
• Arthritis, osteoporosis, and chronic conditions
• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Disability and secondary conditions
• Educational and community-based programs
• Environmental health
• Family planning
• Food safety
• Health communication
• Heart disease and stroke
• HIV
• Immunization and infectious diseases
• Injury and violence
• Maternal, infant, and child health
• Medical product safety
• Mental health and mental disorders
• Nutrition and overweight
• Occupational safety and health
• Oral health
• Physical activity and fitness
• Public health infrastructure
• Respiratory diseases
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Substance abuse
• Tobacco use
• Vision and hearing

Return to top

Leading Health Indicators...

In addition, there are 10 Leading Health Indicators that reflect the high priority areas for the National's health. In addition to serving as a method to evaluate public health progress over the next decade, the Indicators also serve as a focal point to coordinate national health improvement efforts.

• Physical activity
• Overweight and obesity
• Tobacco use
• Substance abuse
• Responsible sexual behavior
• Mental health
• Injury and violence
• Environmental quality
• Immunization
• Access to health care

Development of Healthy People 2010...

Healthy People 2010 builds on initiatives pursued over the past two decades:

• The 1979 Surgeon General's Healthy People
• Healthy People 2000: National health promotion and disease prevention objectives

Like its predecessors, Healthy People 2010 was developed through a public-private partnership and public consensus, and grounded in the best scientific knowledge.

State and Community Health Objectives...

Nearly all States, the District of Columbia and Guam have developed their own Healthy People plans. Most have built on national objectives but virtually all have tailored them to their specific needs. Many States, working with community coalitions, are now developing their own versions of Healthy People 2010.

Return to top

 RESOURCES

"How-To"

Community Toolbox

An on-line "how-to" tool on developing community health prevention and promotion programs. This website includes information on leadership, strategic planning, community assessment, advocacy, grant writing, and evaluation.
ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/

Building a Successful Prevention Program

A resource that outlines 7 steps for developing a prevention program, using a risk and protective factor framework. Steps include assessing community readiness, needs assessment, prioritizing, resource assessment, targeting efforts, best practices and evaluation.
www.open.org/~westcapt

Funding:

  Healthy Youth Funding Database (CDC-DASH)

CDC-Division of Adolescent and School Health's database resource that contains information on federal, foundation, and state-specific funding sources for adolescent and school health programs.

Grantsnet
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web connection to approximately 300 grant programs.

  Grants and Related Resources - Michigan State University Libraries

Foundation Center: Finding Funders

Return to top

Data:

Healthy People Data 2010

Data are made available through an interactive database system of the CDC's Center for Health Statistics. Spreadsheet files containing Healthy People 2010-related data--including Leading Health Indicators, Selected Mortality Objectives, Selected Natality Objectives, and Health Status Indicators, by States are also available for downloading through the NCHS web site.

Center for Health Statistics
NCHS data systems include data on vital events as well as information on health status, lifestyle and exposure to unhealthy influences, the onset and diagnosis of illness and disability, and the use of health care.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)

ChildStats.gov
A website that provides easy access to federal and state statistics and reports on children and their families,   including population and family characteristics, economic security, health, behavior and social environment and education.

U.S. Census Bureau

State Health Facts Online
An on-line resource that contains the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and healthy policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. A resource of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Kids Count
A national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. A project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Data Skills Online
A website that offers a set of free analytic and technical tools for state and local title V professionals to engage in self-directed learning.

Return to top