Adolescent health in state Title V programs: An environmental scan of past activities and preview of the future of of adolescent health in Title V

From the establishment of Title V Maternal and Child Health funding in 1935, state Title V programs served adolescents as part of the population of all children ages 0-18. Today these programs continue to play a key role in promoting the health of adolescents. To learn more about adolescent health activities in Title V programs, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) initiated an environmental scan in 2013 and published a report of findings in February 2015. The scan addressed the following research questions:  What types of activities are most common among Title V adolescent health programs? What adolescent health issues do Title V programs address? What can we learn about adolescent health in the states from Title V Block Grant reports? This presentation will present findings, themes, and conclusions, including: activities states are implementing to address teen birth rates, teen suicide rates, and transition into adulthood for youth with special health care needs; the most common types of activities in teen pregnancy prevention, transition, and suicide prevention; and the adolescent health issues that states choose to address within their self-selected performance measures (a reflection of the adolescent health issues identified as priority needs in the state). This analysis is more relevant now than ever before due to an increased focus on adolescents as well as new adolescent-specific national performance measures in the revised Title V funding guidance released in January 2015. In addition to the research findings, the presenter will review those recent changes affecting adolescent and young adult health, share information about the new Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Resource Center, and describe the range of federally-funded resource centers that currently support adolescent health efforts nationwide.