Efforts lead to priorities for improving health
To help young people in North Carolina have the greatest opportunities for success in life, The Duke Endowment funded a collaborative effort that looked at ways to improve adolescent health and increase awareness of unmet needs.
Impact
With three co-chairs and 38 members, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine Task Force on Adolescent Health met 12 times between May 2008 and September 2009.
Charged with developing a 10-year plan to improve the health and well-being of North Carolina’s adolescents, the group spent much of its time examining the critical health issues for youth as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The issues included unintentional injury, substance use and abuse, mental health, violence, sexual health and prevention of chronic illnesses. Members also reviewed evidence-based and promising interventions to improve adolescent and young adult health.
“Instead of focusing solely on preventing certain adolescent health issues,” the group explained, “the task force also looked at ways to invest in youth so they can develop the skills and attributes needed to become productive adults.”
At the end of two years, it made 32 recommendations to improve adolescent health; 10 recommendations were desiginated as “priority,” including:
- Public and private funders should fund evidence-based programs that meet the needs of the population being served.
- The North Carolina General Assembly should increase funding for school-based health services in middle and high schools.
- The General Assembly should fund a healthy schools coordinator in each local education agency to help implement a coordinated school health approach.
- Since education and health outcomes are closely connected, the N.C. State Board of Education and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction should expand efforts to increase high school graduation rates.
- Since unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in North Carolina for youth ages 10-20 and motor vehicle crashes are the most common form of unintentional injuries and death, the N.C. Department of Transportation should work to improve the comprehensive training program for young drivers. Pilot programs to improve driver education should be developed, implemented, evaluated and, if shown to be successful, expanded.
- The Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services should ensure that treatment services are available to adolescents throughout the state.
- Many adolescents witness, are victims of, or are perpetrators of youth violence. The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquincy Prevention should encourage local Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils to fund evidence-based prevention and treatment programs.
- North Carolina’s teen pregnancy rate is above the national average. The General Assembly should provide additional funding to support teen pregnancy prevention programs and social marketing campaigns.
- In 2007, 31 percent of young adults reported being current smokers; 22 percent were obese; and 6 percent were told they have high blood pressure. The General Assembly should raise taxes on tobacco products to the national average, increase funding to support a comprehensive tobacco control program and mandate that all worksites and public places are smoke free.
- North Carolina funders should support pilot programs to deliver healthy meals in middle and high schools.
The task force released its report in 2009, Healthy Foundations for Healthy Youth (December 2009) (pdf), during the North Carolina Adolescent Health Summit in Chapel Hill, N.C.
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