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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Adolescents

Goal: Improve the health and well-being of adolescents.

Four adolescents gathered around a table look at a tablet together.

Many behaviors that can affect health and well-being later in life start during adolescence. Healthy People 2030 focuses on helping adolescents stay safe and healthy.  

Adolescents are at risk for many preventable health problems, including substance use disorders, sexually transmitted infections, and injuries from motor vehicle crashes. And there are disparities by race/ethnicity and family income.  

Adolescents also experience many developmental changes that can affect their physical and mental health. Encouraging positive health behaviors — like getting preventive care, using birth control, and getting enough sleep — can help adolescents stay safe and healthy. 

Objective Status

  • 8 Target met or exceeded
  • 9 Improving
  • 20 Little or no detectable change
  • 25 Getting worse
  • 6 Baseline only
  • 19 Developmental
  • 13 Research

Learn more about objective types

Related Objectives

The following is a sample of objectives related to this topic. Some objectives may include population data.

Adolescents — General

Increase the proportion of schools with policies and practices that promote health and safety — EH‑D01
Developmental
Increase the proportion of children living with at least 1 parent who works full time — SDOH‑03
Improving
Increase the proportion of adolescents who had a preventive health care visit in the past year — AH‑01
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of high school graduates in college the October after graduating — SDOH‑06
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who speak privately with a provider at a preventive medical visit — AH‑02
Little or no detectable change

Cancer

Reduce the proportion of students in grades 9 through 12 who report sunburn — C‑10
Getting worse

Child and Adolescent Development

Increase the proportion of adolescents who have an adult they can talk to about serious problems — AH‑03
Little or no detectable change
Reduce chronic school absence among early adolescents — AH‑07
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of trauma-informed early childcare settings and elementary and secondary schools — AH‑D01
Developmental
Increase the proportion of adolescents in foster care who show signs of being ready for adulthood — AH‑R02
Research
Increase the proportion of 8th-graders with reading skills at or above the proficient level — AH‑R04
Research
Increase the proportion of 8th-graders with math skills at or above the proficient level — AH‑R05
Research

Children

Increase the proportion of high school students who graduate in 4 years — AH‑08
Improving
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents with ADHD who get appropriate treatment — EMC‑04
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who communicate positively with their parents — EMC‑01
Getting worse
Reduce the rate of deaths in children and adolescents aged 1 to 19 years — MICH‑03
Getting worse
Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are suspended or expelled — EMC‑D02
Developmental
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who get appropriate treatment for anxiety or depression — EMC‑D04
Developmental
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who get appropriate treatment for behavior problems — EMC‑D05
Developmental
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who get preventive mental health care in school — EMC‑D06
Developmental
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who show resilience to challenges and stress — EMC‑D07
Developmental

Chronic Kidney Disease

Reduce the proportion of adolescents with chronic kidney disease — CKD‑D01
Developmental

Drug and Alcohol Use

Reduce the proportion of adolescents who drank alcohol in the past month — SU‑04
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of people under 21 years who engaged in binge drinking in the past month — SU‑09
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of adolescents who used drugs in the past month — SU‑05
Getting worse
Reduce the proportion of adolescents who used marijuana in the past month — SU‑06
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who think substance abuse is risky — SU‑R01
Research

Family Planning

Reduce pregnancies in adolescents — FP‑03
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of adolescents who have never had sex — FP‑04
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescent females who used effective birth control the last time they had sex — FP‑05
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescent males who used a condom the last time they had sex — FP‑06
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescents who use birth control the first time they have sex — FP‑07
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescents who get formal sex education before age 18 years — FP‑08
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of adolescent females at risk for unintended pregnancy who use effective birth control — FP‑11
Little or no detectable change

Health Care

Increase use of the oral health care system — OH‑08
LHI label
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who receive care in a medical home — MICH‑19
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents with special health care needs who have a system of care — MICH‑20
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who get support for their transition to adult health care — AH‑R01
Research

Infectious Disease

Reduce infections of HPV types prevented by the vaccine in young adults — IID‑07
Baseline only

LGBT

Reduce suicidal thoughts in lesbian, gay, or bisexual high school students — LGBT‑06
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of lesbian, gay, or bisexual high school students who have used illicit drugs — LGBT‑07
Getting worse
Reduce bullying of lesbian, gay, or bisexual high school students — LGBT‑05
Baseline only
Reduce bullying of transgender students — LGBT‑D01
Developmental
Reduce suicidal thoughts in transgender students — LGBT‑D02
Developmental
Reduce the proportion of transgender high school students who have used illicit drugs — LGBT‑D03
Developmental

Mental Health and Mental Disorders

Increase the proportion of adolescents with depression who get treatment — MHMD‑06
LHI label
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression — MHMD‑08
Little or no detectable change
Reduce suicide attempts by adolescents — MHMD‑02
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents with symptoms of trauma who get treatment — AH‑D02
Developmental
Increase the number of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance who get treatment — MHMD‑D01
Developmental

Nutrition and Healthy Eating

Increase the proportion of students participating in the School Breakfast Program — AH‑04
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of eligible students participating in the Summer Food Service Program — AH‑R03
Research

Oral Conditions

Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents with active and untreated tooth decay — OH‑02
Improving
Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents with lifetime tooth decay — OH‑01
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of low-income youth who have a preventive dental visit — OH‑09
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who have dental sealants on 1 or more molars — OH‑10
Getting worse

Overweight and Obesity

Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents with obesity — NWS‑04
LHI label
Little or no detectable change

People with Disabilities

Increase the proportion of students with disabilities who are usually in regular education programs — DH‑05
Improving
Increase the proportion of students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act who earn a high school diploma — AH‑R10
Research

Physical Activity

Increase the proportion of adolescents who do enough aerobic physical activity — PA‑06
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who do enough muscle-strengthening activity — PA‑07
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who do enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity — PA‑08
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who play sports — PA‑12
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adolescents who walk or bike to get places — PA‑11
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of parents who follow AAP recommendations on limiting screen time for children aged 6 to 17 years — PA‑R02
Research

Respiratory Disease

Reduce hospitalizations for asthma in people aged 5 to 64 years — RD‑D02
Developmental

Schools

Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults who aren't in school or working — AH‑09
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of adolescents who participate in daily school physical education — ECBP‑01
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of middle and high schools that provide case management for chronic conditions — ECBP‑D01
Developmental
Increase the proportion of schools that don't sell less healthy foods and drinks — ECBP‑D02
Developmental
Increase the proportion of schools requiring students to take at least 2 health education courses from grade 6 to 12 — AH‑R06
Research
Increase the proportion of secondary schools with a start time of 8:30 AM or later — AH‑R07
Research
Increase the proportion of secondary schools with a full-time registered nurse — AH‑R08
Research
Increase the proportion of public schools with a counselor, social worker, and psychologist — AH‑R09
Research

Sensory or Communication Disorders

Reduce vision loss in children and adolescents — V‑03
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents with communication disorders who have seen a specialist in the past year — HOSCD‑05
Baseline only

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Reduce the number of new HIV infections — HIV‑01
Improving
Reduce pelvic inflammatory disease in female adolescents and young women — STI‑07
Improving
Increase the proportion of sexually active female adolescents and young women who get screened for chlamydia — STI‑01
Little or no detectable change
Reduce gonorrhea rates in male adolescents and young men — STI‑02
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults with genital herpes — STI‑D01
Developmental

Sleep

Increase the proportion of high school students who get enough sleep — SH‑04
Getting worse

Tobacco Use

Reduce current cigarette smoking in adolescents — TU‑06
Target met or exceeded
Reduce current use of smokeless tobacco products among adolescents — TU‑08
Target met or exceeded
Reduce current cigar smoking in adolescents — TU‑07
Improving
Eliminate cigarette smoking initiation in adolescents and young adults — TU‑10
Improving
Reduce current e-cigarette use in adolescents — TU‑05
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of people who don't smoke but are exposed to secondhand smoke — TU‑19
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of adolescents exposed to tobacco marketing — TU‑22
Little or no detectable change
Reduce current tobacco use in adolescents — TU‑04
LHI label
Getting worse
Reduce current use of flavored tobacco products in adolescents who use tobacco — TU‑09
Baseline only

Vaccination

Increase the proportion of adolescents who get recommended doses of the HPV vaccine — IID‑08
Improving

Violence Prevention

Reduce physical fighting among adolescents — IVP‑11
Target met or exceeded
Reduce gun carrying among adolescents — IVP‑12
Target met or exceeded
Reduce adolescent sexual violence by anyone — IVP‑17
Getting worse
Reduce sexual or physical adolescent dating violence — IVP‑18
Getting worse
Reduce the rate of minors and young adults committing violent crimes — AH‑10
Baseline only
Reduce the proportion of public schools with a serious violent incident — AH‑D03
Developmental
Reduce the number of young adults who report 3 or more adverse childhood experiences — IVP‑D03
Developmental
Reduce the rate of adolescent and young adult victimization from violent crimes — AH‑R11
Research

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