CLF Director Featured in JAMA for Work on Adolescent Health Robert Lawrence, MD, director of the Center for a Livable Future, was quoted in the January 28, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in an article titled "Reforms Needed in Adolescent Health Care." Lawrence was the chair of an 18-member committee convened by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to examine the state of adolescent health in the U.S. The report, Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities, found that the U.S health care system often fails to meet the needs of the nation's 42 million adolescents ages 10-19. The committee found that improvements have been made in only three of the 21 health goals for adolescents and young adults in Healthy People 2010: injury-related behavior, pregnancy and sexually-related behavior, and tobacco use. Other health indicators are worsening—overweight and obesity rates are up, physical activity has declined, and binge drinking and alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths have increased. The report recommends that health services for adolescents consider behavioral and contextual factors, which "influence the ways in which adolescents approach and interact with health care services, providers and settings." Another recommendation is that adolescents be given the authority to manage how their health information is shared with others, even their parents. "Adolescents have unique health care needs, and our health system should not approach their care the same way it does children or adults," Lawrence said. "As policymakers discuss how to restructure the way health care is delivered in the U.S., the distinct problems faced by adolescents—such as risky behavior—deserve particular attention. And because adolescence is a critical period for developing habits that build a strong foundation for health throughout one's entire life, services need to focus on promoting healthy behaviors, preventing disease and managing health conditions." |
