Reducing Adolescent Risk : Toward an Integrated Approach

"What an extraordinary volume! This book brings together current research integrating adolescent risk and protection across a wide range of topics and disciplines. It is a major contribution to the field." a?? Robert Wm. Blum, MD, MPH, PhD, Professor and Director, Center for Adolescent Health and Development, University of Minnesota "This book is clearly the best source now available on the topic of adolescent risk taking and its prevention. With chapters written by the very best people in the field, describing the latest thinking and findings, it is an essential guide and resource for prevention researchers and program developers." a?? Bruce Simons-Morton, EdD, MPH, Chief, Prevention Research Branch Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development "This report shines a bright light on the road our nation has taken to improve adolescent health, the approaching fork, and the path most likely to attain our destination." a?? Lloyd J. Kolbe, PhD, Director, Division of Adolescent and School Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control And Prevention "Reducing Adolescent Risk: Toward an Integrated Approach weaves together current research findings with prevailing prevention strategies to shed further light on the developmental pathways leading to a variety of interrelated adolescent risk behaviors. In doing so, the authors skillfully make the case for more integrated policy approaches and for comprehensive programming at the community level that both recognizes the connections between risk behaviors and maximizes young people's positive potential." a?? Karen Pittman, Executive Director, The Forum for Youth Investment & President, Impact Strategies, Inc. Many risk behaviors have common developmental pathways. However, most prevention strategies approach adolescent risk behaviors as individual problems requiring separate solutions. This policy of treating one behavior at a time encourages a fractured approach to adolescent health. Reducing Adolescent Risk: Toward an Integrated Approach focuses on common influences that result in a number of interrelated risk behaviors in order to design more unified, comprehensive prevention strategies. Edited by Daniel Romer, this book summarizes presentations and discussions held at the Adolescent Risk Communication Institute of the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center. Concentrating on common causes for varied risk behaviors, a group of leading researchers and intervention specialists from different health traditions synthesize current knowledge about risks to adolescent health in several areas, including drugs and alcohol, tobacco, unprotected sex, suicide and depression, and gambling. Promoting healthy adolescent development, this innovative volume includes Results of the National Risk Survey Contributions from experts on adolescent decision making and problem solving Research agendas for programs that reduce multiple risks Potential intervention strategies to reduce more than one risk at a time Major findings from the conference that should be pursued in future