National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM) is an annual observance in May that is hosted by the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA). Adolescent health encompasses overall well-being for young people to make empowering decisions to live healthy lives.
Each May, the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) celebrates National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™). This annual observance emphasizes the importance of building on young people’s strengths and potential, encouraging meaningful youth engagement in adolescent health activities, and highlighting key topics in adolescent health.
During NAHM, we can all work together to support individuals and communities working to create change that benefits young people.
National Adolescent Health Month™ (NAHM™) is an annual observance in May that is hosted by the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA). This year, NAHM will focus on Take Action for Adolescents– A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being (“Take Action for Adolescents”), a new initiative that outlines eight specific goals with supporting action steps to ensure programs have guidance to support coordinated systems, policies and practices for adolescent health. Download the accompanying Take Action Toolkit to learn more!
Throughout the month of May, NCSD will be sharing resources and tools related to each week’s NAHM theme. NCSD will be emailing resources each Monday, and then will update this webpage accordingly. Come back soon for more!
These resources are designed for anyone working with youth in any capacity, including providers, school staff and leaders, school-based health centers, health departments, and community organizations. Feel free to bookmark these tools for future reference! We’ll also be sharing adolescent health focused sessions and posters to check out at STI Engage 2024!
There’s a different theme for each week of 2024’s National Adolescent Health Month:
Creating safe and supportive environments is crucial for adolescent well-being. This involves ensuring that spaces like homes, schools, and healthcare settings positively influence their physical, mental, and emotional health. By enhancing collaboration among parents, educators, and health professionals, we can improve access to essential health services and support healthy development into adulthood.
Referral Services
Telemedicine
Next steps to take to continue supporting adolescent health:
✔ Learn more about The Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion (LEAHP) and begin assembling your own multi-sector state team to support your state’s adolescent sexual health programming.
✔ Connect with NCSD’s policy team to learn more about navigating adolescent health focused policies and trends in your state.
✔ Engage with your local community partners (parent organizations, LGBTQ+ coalitions, substance use/mental health agencies, statewide coalitions, etc.)
✔ Reach out to NCSD’s adolescent health team for collaborative projects, technical assistance support, and guidance on inclusive services for young people in your jurisdictions.
To learn more about the adolescent health work at NCSD, visit our website. For questions around any of these resources, email us at adolescenthealth@ncsddc.org.
National Adolescent Health Month™ or NAHM™ and the logo design are registered trademarks of HHS. Use of these marks without prior approval by HHS is strictly prohibited.