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Healthy Youth: Investing in Our Nation’s Future


See Also:

Healthy Youth At A Glance 2004

Prevention Effectiveness

Adolescent and School Health Web Site


The health of young people, and the adults they will become, is critically linked to the health-related behaviors they adopt. Certain behaviors that are often established during youth contribute markedly to today’s major killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and injuries. These behaviors include tobacco use; unhealthy dietary habits; inadequate physical activity; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that can result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies; and behaviors that result in violence and unintentional injuries (e.g., driving while intoxicated). These behaviors place young people at increased risk for serious health problems, both now and in the future.

Health Challenges

  • During the past 20 years, decreases in physical activity coupled with unhealthy eating has resulted in a doubling of the percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight.
  • Increases in type 2 diabetes may be one of the first consequences of the epidemic of obesity among young people. 

    Young People Are at Risk
    Every day, nearly 2,200 young people take up daily smoking.
    Daily participation in high school physical education classes dropped from 42% in 1991 to 32% in 2001.
    Almost 80% of young people do not eat the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables.
    Every year, more than 870,000 adolescents become pregnant, and about 3 million become infected with a sexually transmitted disease.


CDC Goals

  • To provide states with technical and financial assistance for coordinated school health programs.
  • To develop model policies, guidelines, and training to assist states in implementing high-quality school health programs.

Effectiveness of Health Education

Rigorous studies show that health education in schools can effectively reduce the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among young people. For example 

  • Planned, sequential health education resulted in a 37% reduction in smoking initiation among seventh-grade students.
  • The prevalence of obesity decreased among girls in grades 6–8 who participated in a school-based intervention program.
  • Students who participated in a school-based life skills training program were less likely to use tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana than were students not enrolled in the program. 

Examples of CDC Activities

CDC’s Youth Media Campaign is a comprehensive communications approach to promote healthy lifestyles and displace unhealthy, risky behaviors among America’s young people. Young people aged 9–13 years will be targeted and encouraged to adopt healthy behaviors, especially physical activity. In FY 2001, CDC granted state and local health education agencies about $7 million for Youth Media Campaign activities. The campaign is supported by national media channels, public/private partnerships, and a national events tour.

In 1992, while continuing to support HIV prevention education in all states, CDC began to provide funding for coordinated school health programs to reduce chronic disease risk factors: poor eating habits, physical inactivity, and tobacco use. CDC currently supports coordinated school health programs in 20 states.

 



 

CDC Funding for Coordinated School Health Programs,
Fiscal Year 2003

Map of United States showing funded School Health Programs for Fiscal year 2003

*Currently no states are funded at this level.

[A text description of this map is also available.]

Examples of State Activities 

Maine: In 1996, Maine had the highest tobacco addiction rates in the nation for young people aged 18–30, and one of the highest smoking rates for those aged 14–18. The Life Skills training program was designed to help adolescents develop a wide range of personal and social skills. Twelve major evaluation studies have shown that the Life Skills training program can reduce cigarette smoking by up to 87% and the use of alcohol and other drugs by up to 80%. As part of CDC’s coordinated school health program, teachers in all middle schools in Maine were offered training and materials for the Life Skills program. Surveys show that in 1997, when the Life Skills program was established, smoking among high school students in Maine has decreased more than 20%. Increases in the state tobacco excise tax and the introduction of community-based tobacco control programs contributed to this decrease in smoking rates. 

Rhode Island: As part of the CDC-supported coordinated school health program, the Rhode Island Department of Education has partnered with Kids First, a community-based agency dedicated to improving the health and education of children by providing nutrition education in schools throughout the state. From May 1998 through September 2000, Rhode Island provided nutrition services and programs to more than 40,000 children and their parents, 2,100 teachers, and 700 food service staff in more than 220 schools. 

South Dakota: With CDC support and in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the South Dakota Department of Education is strengthening HIV prevention efforts among young American Indians through Circle of Life, an HIV prevention and teacher training program. Materials and training have been provided to all elementary and middle school teachers in two BIA schools and to all elementary and middle school teachers in the public school district with the highest percentage of American Indian students in the state. The Circle of Life program incorporates American Indian culture and beliefs. It will help schools be more effective in preventing the transmission of HIV and can serve as a model for other states. 

 
Related Information


One or more documents on this Web page is available in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Acrobat Reader (a free application) to view and print these documents.


 
 




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This page last reviewed August 10, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion