Adolescent and Young Adult Health
The Adolescent and Young Adult Health Unit (AYH) leads and coordinates WHO-wide efforts to improve the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults.
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Training resources

Comprehensive care

The tool is designed for use by any health professional who is involved in the care of adolescents.

This guidance is based on an evidence review undertaken by a group of international experts in adolescent medicine, adolescent gynaecology, nursing, epidemiology, public health, law, developmental, forensic and clinical psychology, psychiatry, sociology and bioethics (10) and was developed by an panel of 13 professionals representing different contexts and geographical regions with expertise in primary and referral-level paediatric and adolescent health care, children’s rights, bioethics, developmental psychology and research in competence and decision-making capacity.

 Web Annex. Algorithm for health-care providers

 

This Pocket Book is for use by doctors, nurses and other health workers who are responsible for the care of children and adolescents at the primary health care level. It summarizes guidance on how to manage – and when to refer – children and adolescents presenting with common complaints and conditions. It includes information to enable primary health care providers to coordinate the continued care of children and adolescents with long-term conditions and diseases managed by specialists. Preventive and promotive measures from the newborn period to adolescence include advice on the timing and content of well-child visits, the promotion of early childhood development and health messages for adolescents.

 

The WHO document “Core competencies in adolescent health and development for primary care providers” aims to help countries develop competency-based educational programmes in adolescent health and development in both pre-service and in-service education. In addition, it provides guidance on how to assess and improve the structure, content and quality of the adolescent health component of pre-service curricula. By fostering the capacity of health-care providers in adolescent health care and development, the document supports the implementation in countries of the Global Standards for Quality Health-Care Services for Adolescents. 

 

The Adolescent Job Aid is a handy desk reference tool for health workers (trained and registered doctors, nurses and clinical officers) who provide services to children, adolescents and adults. It aims to help these health workers respond to their adolescent patients more effectively and with greater sensitivity. It provides precise, step-by-step guidance on how to deal with adolescents when they present with a problem or a concern about their health or development.

 

Environmental health

WHO training package on CEH for health professionals (10 modules updated 2019/2020)

Mental health

The guide emphasizes competency-based education that equips future doctors and nurses with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to provide quality care for people with MNS conditions.

As part of the Mental Health Gap Action Programme, WHO has developed training manuals (Training of trainers and supervisors training manual and Training of health-care providers training manual) to support implementation of the mhGAP Intervention Guide for mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders in non-specialized health settings, version 2.0. These manuals can be used to build capacity among non-specialist health-care providers in the assessment and management of people with priority MNS conditions in low resource settings.

Sexual and reproductive health

  • Socio-demographic and contextual characteristics: individual, family, household, peer, school, and neighborhood
  • Health and behaviours: Self-perceived health and body comfort, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, adversity and violence, substance use, romantic and sexual experiences, and media engagement
  • Perceptions of gender norms and gender attitudes: Gender norms scales, gender stereotypical roles, gender stereotypical traits, and the vignettes-based measure of gender equality

Violence prevention

This handbook is intended primarily for front-line health care providers who are likely to see children (among other clients) in their day-to-day practice. These may include general practitioners, nurses, midwives, gynaecologists, paediatricians, mental health professionals, first responders and staff in emergency care.

WHO has published new clinical guidelines Responding to children and adolescents who have been sexually abused aimed at helping front-line health workers, primarily from low resource settings, in providing evidence-based, quality, trauma-informed care to survivors. The guidelines emphasize the importance of promoting safety, offering choices and respecting the wishes and autonomy of children and adolescents. They cover recommendations for post-rape care and mental health; and approaches to minimizing distress in the process of taking medical history, conducting examination and documenting findings.