Adolescent Health and Policy
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)-This is a professional society of primary care pediatricians and specialists. The government affairs department updates state legislative activity on issues related to children and teen health and safety.
Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs-This is a professional organization that represents state public health advocates on issues of health and well being of women, children, young adults, and families.
Center for Adolescent Health & the Law-This nonprofit policy organization works to promote adolescent health needs and access to comprehensive care through research, analysis of laws and policy, advocacy, and publications.
Center for Children and Families-The Center for Children and Families is an independent, nonpartisan policy center based at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and supported by private foundation grants. The Center’s work focuses on developing practical strategies to improve access to and quality of health care for the nation's low and moderate income children and families.
Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)-This public policy center at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, uses research to inform policy and practice promoting health and well-being of America’s low-income children, adolescents, and families.
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools-This center is a non-partisan policy resource center that focuses its efforts on the well-being of children and youth through effective health programs and services in schools. It has an online journal with updates on the policies, politics, and financing of school based health programs.
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)-This is a National non-profit that works to improve the lives of low income people through research, advocacy, and policy analysis at the federal and state levels. They have a number of publications on policies around disconnected youth.
The Children’s Defense Fund-The CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. They pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities
Child Trends-This nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization provides extensive research and data to policymakers and the general public to inform decision-making around children’s health and well-being.
Child Welfare League of America-CWLA is an association of nearly 800 public and private nonprofit agencies that assist more than 3.5 million abused and neglected children and their families each year with a range of services. They are committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their families, and protecting every child from harm.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Adolescent Health-This center fosters research and innovation in adolescent health policy and practice, and the needs of this population. The school is jointly supported by the CDC.
National Adolescent Information Center-This center at the University of California San Francisco is a resource for adolescent health information and research, publishing facts and issue briefs on a range of topics related to health and policy.
National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health-This non-profit organization works to improve the lives of adolescents, with an emphasis on low-income and poor adolescents. Their focus is on the health needs of this population and their access to integrative care—preventive, physical, behavioral, and sexual health care to reduce risk behaviors.
National Assembly on School-Based Health Care-This grassroots organization is a national advocacy group for school-based health centers (SBHCs) representing individuals from state and federal agencies, foundations, and organizations who support policies and programs that expand and strengthen SBHCs.
National Network for Youth-This is a national non-profit advocacy organization that focuses on the needs of disconnected youth, such as the homeless and runaway populations. It includes training materials and policy frameworks for federal state and local lawmakers to help these youth.
National Network for State Adolescent Health Coordinators-This organization unites Title V State Adolescent Coordinators, who organize adolescent health programs and policies in different states.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a large philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care in the United States. In the area of children’s health the Foundation has developed a number of programs focused on coverage of children, and issues like childhood obesity.
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM)-This group of healthcare professionals from over 30 countries is dedicated to researching adolescent health and improving delivery of health services to this age group, through expanding the field known as Adolescent Medicine.
Adolescent Risk Factors
Advocates For Youth-This center helps young people make informed and responsible choices when it comes to reproductive and sexual health, with a focus on adolescents in the US and around the world.
The Guttmacher Institute-This is a non-profit organization that produces research and state and federal level policy analysis on sexual and reproductive health, along with public education and advocacy around these issues. The State Policies in Brief reports on status of state policies that affect reproductive health of youth.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)-This is a an organization of child and adolescent psychiatrists and physicians whose research and work focuses on the mental health needs of children and adolescents, along with families. They also address policy related to mental health needs of this age group.
Campaign For tobacco-Free Kids-This is a NGO and advocacy group raising awareness about tobacco addiction among youth. They outline the state and federal initiatives aimed at this issue.
ImpactTEEN-This is a policy research partnerships between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Illinois that promote models, policies, and prevention strategies affecting substance abuse among adolescents. Policy chart books are released highlighting drug and alcohol laws at the state level.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy-This is a national non-profit, non-partisan initiative to improve the well-being of children, youth, and families by running campaigns to reduce teen pregnancy.
National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research-This collaborative is a partnership between the CDC, NIH, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture to study the obesity epidemic children face in America. They focus on populations with higher rates of obesity, such as certain ethnic/racial groups and low-income teens.
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)-This council provides education, advocacy, and information about sexuality and reproductive health. Teen pregnancy, sex education, STIs are areas SIECUS develops guidelines and reports about.
Federal Agencies
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-This federal agency publishes research and informational material on a range of issues impacting adolescents. The National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health (NIIAH) is a collaboration with other partner organizations to improve the health, safety, and well-being of adolescents and young adults. Within the CDC are a number of other centers and programs, and various partners in adolescent health.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s School Health Profiles-This CDC pursues research to better understand the causes of diseases and promote health behavior through surveys. Their School Health Profiles Project is conducted twice a year by state and local education and health agencies and monitors the status of school health education.
National Center for Health Statistics-This center provides extensive information about the health of people in America by population.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control-This center works to improve morbidity and mortality associated with injuries including motor vehicle accidents. A number of fact sheets on teenagers and injuries are published.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) of the CDC-This is a monitoring system the CDC runs to track health-risk behaviors among high school aged children every year, with a focus on unintentional injuries and violence, substance use, sexual risk behavior, and unhealthy dietary and exercise behaviors.
Lets Move!-This comprehensive initiative to fight childhood obesity was launched by Michele Obama and provides parents with information while working with the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to evaluate programs and policies impacting child nutrition and physical activity.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA)-This is a federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services that focuses its research and programs on helping people with or at risk for substance abuse and mental illness.
Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition (We Can!) -This is a national movement started by the US Department of Health and Human Services, and partnering with the NIH to bring parents and communities information about how to keep children ages 8-13 at a healthy weight.