adolescent sexual health:
general resources
There are many resources, organizations and publications with accurate information on Adolescent Sexual Health. This list is by no means exhaustive, as there is an abundance of valuable resources, but we have listed ones that we have found particularly helpful and medically accurate from respected organizations.
RIghtTime app from the RI Department of Health
An excellent overall resource is a sexual health app recently developed by the RI Department of Health called RIghtTime, where Rhode Islanders can find information, contact experts, and even locate counseling and treatment centers from the privacy of a cell phone. CLICK HERE for a flyer to distribute and display.
The information is straightforward and medically accurate and may be useful as part of developmentally appropriate sexual and reproductive health education for middle and high school students. |
Sexual and Reproductive Health Information
Rhode Island:
- RI Department of Health Adolescent and School Health Program
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases and RI Testing Sites (RI Dept. of Health)
- Teen Outreach Program (RI Dept. of Health)
- RIghTime app (RI Dept. of Health) Get medically accurate and straightforward sexual health information, contact experts, locate free condoms, and locate counseling and treatment centers from the privacy of a cell phone.
- thriveri.org Thrive, Rhode Island’s Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP), is a partnership between the Rhode Island Departments of Education and Health that builds infrastructure supports with state, school, and community partners to help create safe, healthy, and nurturing schools that reduce barriers to learning. This website is full of resources related to school health, including policy and regulations, data and all components of a healthy school.
- Healthy Relationships Resource Guide (Providence Public School Department) A lengthy, comprehensive resource guide put together by the PPSD Healthy Relationships sub-committee of the PPSD Wellness Committee, which includes information on community resources and a wide variety of sexual health topics, and is aligned with PPSD's Health Curriculum
- Advocates for Youth Since 1980, Advocates for Youth has worked with youth leaders to ensure that all young people's rights are respected and that we have the tools we need to protect ourselves from STIs, HIV, and unintended pregnancy.
- American Sexual Health Association For more than 100 years, the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) has been a trusted source of scientifically accurate, unbiased information on sexual health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including pages specifically targeted to teens and young adults, parents, and teachers.
- amaze provides young adolescents (tweens and teens) with medically accurate, age-appropriate and honest sex education they can access directly online, including engaging, educational, often humorous sex education videos; educational resources, including short videos, to build the skills of parents and guardians to better communicate with their children about sex and sexuality; and toolkits, lesson plans, promotional materials and other resources to help educators and health care providers refer students and young patients to AMAZE as an available, free and fun resource to learn about sex and sexuality.
- amaze jr. brings parents age-appropriate sex ed resources about talking to kids ages 4-9 and fun videos to share with your children.
- Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) (CDC) DASH is a unique source of support for HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention efforts in the nation’s schools.
- Get Real The Get Real curriculum emphasizes social and emotional skills as a key component of healthy relationships and responsible decision making. The curriculum is designed for implementation in both middle and high schools. Information provided is medically accurate, age-appropriate and is shown to: • Delay initiation of sexual activity among middle school students; • Empower parents to be the primary sexuality educators of their children; and • Reinforce family communication and improve communication skills for healthy relationships.
- Guttmacher Institute The Guttmacher Institute advances sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globally through high-quality research, evidence-based advocacy and strategic communications.
- Healthy Teen Network is a national membership organization focused on adolescent and young adult health and well-being, with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive health.
- Planned Parenthood Planned Parenthood is one of the nation’s leading providers of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education.
- Power to Decide
- Sex, Etc. Sex, Etc., by teens and for teens, is published by Answer to improve teen sexual health across the country by providing honest and accurate sexual health information about sex, relationships, pregnancy, STDs, birth control, sexual orientation and more.
- Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine Professional organization website with a section on health information and resources for parents and teens.
Data & Reports
Rhode Island:
- Rhode Island’s Sex Education Snapshot (SEICUS.org: Sex Ed for Social Change)
- Adolescent Sexual Health Rhode Island Profile 2016-2020 (RI Dept of Health & RI Dept of Education) This profile describes the current landscape of sexual health among adolescents in Rhode Island. It also provides recommendations for future public health policymaking.
- Adolescent Sexual Health Data Brief 2021 (RIDOH) Handout summarizing 2021 Youth Behavior Survey results on sexual activity, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
- Rhode Island HIV, STD, and Hepatitis Surveillance Report - 2019 (RI Dept of Health) Full report on sexually transmitted infections in RI, with age breakdowns for each type
- School Health Profiles (RI) 2016 Rhode Island results of the national School Health Profiles (see National description below)
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (RI) 2017 (CDC) Rhode Island results of the national YRBS (see National description below) in a colorful, graphic, easy-to-read flipbook format; raw 2019 data is near the bottom of this RI Dept of Health web page; summary and new flipbook for 2019 data coming soon
- School Health Index (SHI) (CDC) Online self-evaluation and planning tool for schools, built on CDC’s research-based guidelines for school health programs that identify the policies and practices most likely to be effective in reducing youth health risk behaviors. The SHI (and related materials) is available as an interactive, customizable online tool or downloadable, printable version. The SHI aligns with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model.
- School Health Profiles (National) 2018 (CDC) The School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a system of surveys assessing school health policies and practices in states, large urban school districts, and territories. Profiles surveys are conducted every other year in EVEN YEARS by education and health agencies among middle and high school principals and lead health education teachers.
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (National) 2017 (CDC) Anonymous student survey of randomly sampled public high schools and middle schools (grades 6-12) to assess adolescent behavioral health risks, including sexual and other related risky behavior. Survey is taken every other year in ODD YEARS. 2109 results coming soon.
Adolescent Sexual Health in District Policy
- Addressing Sexual Health in Schools: Policy Considerations (Advocates for Youth)
- Condom Availability Programs (CAPs) in Schools: Things to Consider (CDC)
- Boston Public Schools Wellness Policy (complete)
- Boston Public Schools Wellness Policy Sexual Health Access language
- Boston Public Schools Human Sexuality Parental Notification
- Boston Public Schools Condom Accessibility
Relevant News Items, Handouts, Fact Sheets, etc.
- "Public Health Puzzle: Young People Having Less Sex, Contraction More STDs" (Wall Street Journal article)
- STD Fact Sheets (CDC)
- Fact Sheet: Information for Teens and Young Adults: Staying Healthy and Preventing STDs (CDC)
- Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy (CDC)
- Adolescent Health: What Works in Schools (CDC - Overview)
- Guidance for School-Based HIV/STD Prevention (CDC)
Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health Workshop for RI Association of School Committee members (November 2019) - presentations
RIHSC and the RI Department of Health delivered a professional development workshop for members of the RI Association of School Committees on November 2, 2019. Its goal was to provide context and guidance to school committee members on the topic of adolescent sexual health (ASH) and its importance to students' overall health and success in school and life. Below are presentations from the workshop.
- Adolescent Sexual Health in Rhode Island: Trends, Policies, and Highlights (Tom Bertrand & Sounivone Phanthavong, RIDOH)
- School Based Health /Central Falls HS (Beata Nelken, MD as presented by Sounivone Phanthavong)
- A Look at the Numbers (Philip Chan, MD)
- ASH From Our Perspective (Adolescents Speak Out About Sex)
- The Importance of Data Collection/YRBS (Tara Cooper, RIDOH)
- Assessment of District ASH Policy & Practices (Jennifer Quigley-Harris, RIHSC)