Texas A&M, Lurie Children’s Hospital awarded $7.4 million grant to boost adolescent health

Enhancing Health and Well-being of Young Adults Nationwide

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The federal government is working to enhance the health and well-being of young adults nationwide. Texas A&M University is one of several organizations recently awarded millions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to tackle issues like unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, healthy relationships, substance use, mental health, violence prevention, and more.

Collaboration with Lurie Children’s Hospital

Texas A&M University is collaborating with Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, serving one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas, to provide healthcare services and education to adolescents and their families.

Co-Principal Investigators

Kelly Wilson, Ph.D., MCHES, associate dean for research at the Texas A&M School of Nursing, and Whitney Garney, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Texas A&M School of Public Health, are serving as co-principal investigators.

Building on Previous Work

“We’re building off of work that has been happening between A&M and Lurie over the last several years,” said Wilson. “We know that adolescents at the time of development where we have a lot of body change happening, a lot of brain change happening, and we want to prepare them to be competent young adults who are prepared to take care of themselves.”

POPPS Collaboration

POPPS is the latest collaboration between Texas A&M and Lurie Children’s. The university has partnered with the organization’s adolescent community programs on several health projects related to unplanned pregnancy prevention, caregiver support, and more over the past several years.

Mission and Partners

The team will collaborate with community organizations that cater to at-risk youth experiencing homelessness, Chicago Public Schools, and Lurie Children’s clinics. Their mission is to provide health services and education to adolescents and their families. Trained educators from Lurie Children’s will deliver approved evidence-based programs through the system’s network of clinics, Chicago Public Schools, and participating partners.

Addressing Health Inequalities

“By meeting adolescents and their families where they live, learn and seek care, we hope to address real and persistent health inequalities that exist among this group,” Wilson said. “The evidence-based programs we plan to implement contain diverse and proven approaches to promote healthy adolescent behaviors and establish a foundation for a lifetime of beneficial development.”

Positive Influence and National Reach

“Adolescence is a deeply formative stage of life, offering an important window to positively influence this population with public health efforts,” Garney said. “Chicago is the country’s third largest city and provides our research team an opportunity to make maximum impact while expanding Texas A&M’s national reach.”

Community Engagement and Improved Access

Apart from implementing evidence-based programs, experts say funding will also promote community engagement and improved access to adolescent-friendly health services.

Expanding Trust and Partnership

“Educators from our Community Programs team have begun our seventh school year serving Chicago Public Schools (CPS) with a focus on 4th-8th student and caregiver spaces with high quality, comprehensive, medically accurate health education. We are so grateful for this opportunity to expand the trust and partnership we have built to high schools and residential spaces,” said Dawn Ravine, Manager of Sexuality Education, Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. “The sheer number of requests for sexual and reproductive health education support from CPS high schools inspired the proposal for this project. We will meet young people in clinics, schools and community spaces with this vital POPPS programming.”

Bridging the Gap

“We know again people want to improve their health. They want to have that positive outlook, but they don’t always have those direct tools. They don’t always feel confident in healthcare settings. And so through our health education and through our connections to community providers, we’re able to sort of bridge that gap,” said Ravine.

Implementation Process

The research team is using the first six months of the project to identify appropriate evidence-based programs for implementation. This process includes soliciting input from greater Chicago youth, parents, and community stakeholders. POPPS programming is expected to launch early next year.

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SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The issues highlighted in the article are related to improving the health and well-being of young adults, providing healthcare services and education, tackling unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, healthy relationships, substance use, mental health, violence prevention, and addressing health inequalities among at-risk youth.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
• SDG 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
• SDG 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.
• SDG 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
• SDG 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

Based on the article’s content, the targets identified are related to ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, promoting education for sustainable development and non-violence, ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, promoting social inclusion, and reducing violence rates.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator: Number of adolescents and young adults accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare services.
• Indicator: Number of evidence-based programs implemented in schools and clinics.
• Indicator: Level of community engagement in promoting adolescent-friendly health services.
• Indicator: Reduction in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among adolescents.
• Indicator: Level of knowledge and skills acquired by learners related to sustainable development, human rights, gender equality, and non-violence.

The article mentions the implementation of evidence-based programs, community engagement, and the goal to address health inequalities. These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

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Source: kbtx.com

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