Season 2 of the Elevate Youth Programming podcast, hosted by Dr. Kineka J Hull, and produced by Lauren Mangum, is now available! Developed by RTI International with funding from the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program in the Family and Youth Services Bureau, this initiative offers topics to provoke thought and provide youth-serving professionals with tips and strategies to enhance their work with youth.
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In the first episode, “Adolescent Health and Sexually Transmitted Infections,” Elevate Youth Programming sat down with Christy Altidor, MPH, CPH and Jerrica Davis, MPH from the National Coalition of STD Directors to discuss sexually transmitted infection (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) trends and tools and resources to advance adolescent sexual health. Despite significant declines in teen pregnancies in the United States, STI rates are increasing, with almost half of new STIs occurring among youth aged 15-24. Disparities exist among youth of color, lower socioeconomic status, and who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ and are exacerbated by discrimination and lack of quality access to care. Comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based sexual health education is the best method to increase consistent and correct use of barrier methods and decrease STIs. In this episode, we covered strategies and resources youth serving agencies can use to develop a referral system for adolescent health services and advance adolescent sexual health.

References: https://hphr.org/46-article-davis/