Girl2Girl
An estimated one in four teen women will become pregnant by the time she is 20 years of age. And though rates of teenage pregnancy in the U.S. have largely been on the decline for the last 25 years, they are still significantly higher than those of other industrialized nations. High teen birth rates are not limited to one region or state, but exist throughout the United States. As such, evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) programs that can be dispatched on a wide scale are urgently needed. To address this need, we’ve endeavored to develop and rigorously evaluate Girl2Girl, a TPP program designed for teen women ages 14-18 years, nationwide. This program will be delivered in the format that is closest and most familiar to teen women: texting. Text-messaging is cost-effective and will allow for speaking directly to diverse female youth across the country. Girl2Girl RCT Phone Sc …
Growing Up With Media
The Growing up with Media survey includes 1586 households of children between the ages of 10 and 15 years old. The aim of the survey is to examine how media may be affecting the behavior of young people.
Growing up Social
COVID-19 has had a significant impact across the U.S., resulting in over 31 million cases and 559,000 deaths as of April 14, 2021. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a number of public health policies have been implemented to help reduce the spread of the virus, including social distancing, home quarantine, and school closures. With these public health policies has come a sudden and dramatic shift in our lives, and this is particularly true for adolescents who are navigating a critical and unique developmental period. As of April 2021, one in six teenagers (16.3%) have tested positive for COVID-19. Understanding the factors that confer increased risk is imperative given adolescents’ vulnerable developmental stage. The pandemic also has reified long-standing health inequities. Indeed, data overwhelmingly suggest that Black/African American and Hispanic people are significantly more like …
QuarenTeen Health
The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health policies (e.g., school closures, vaccine distribution) are likely impacting the short- and long-term health behaviors of adolescents. By April 2020, the majority of the United States (US) population was living under a stay-at-home order. Since then, all states have attempted some form of reopening, often leading to surges in cases and putting restrictions back in place. Although essential to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, these necessary public health measures may be substantially affecting the lives of adolescents, including their friendships and relationships with romantic and sexual partners. Further, COVID-19 may be amplifying existing health disparities experienced by sexual and gender minority (SGM) and racial/ethnic minority populations. Prior to COVID-19, SGM and racial/ethnic minority youth faced substantial health inequities. G …