Chapter 3: Improving Adolescent Health
Helping communities to meet the 21 Critical Health Objectives for adolescents and young adults requires an understanding of the many factors that influence young people’s health, safety, and well-being. This chapter outlines the National Initiative’s framework for improving adolescent and young adult health; introduces key concepts including youth development, risk and resiliency; and describes factors that protect young people’s health and those that put young people at risk. It also provides an overview of the societal influences that shape young people’s lives: parents and other family members, peers, schools, health care providers, community agencies that serve youth, faith-based organizations, media, postsecondary institutions, employers, law enforcement, and government agencies.
