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. 2021 Sep;69(3):365-374.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.04.026. Epub 2021 Jul 13.

A Scoping Review of Adolescent Health Indicators

Holly Newby  1 , Andrew D Marsh  2 , Ann-Beth Moller  3 , Emmanuel Adebayo  4 , Peter S Azzopardi  5 , Liliana Carvajal  6 , Lucy Fagan  7 , Howard S Friedman  8 , Mariame Guèye Ba  9 , Ann Hagell  10 , Alison Morgan  11 , Elizabeth Saewyc  12 , Regina Guthold  1
Affiliations

A Scoping Review of Adolescent Health Indicators

Holly Newby et al. J Adolesc Health. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: A host of recent initiatives relating to adolescent health have been accompanied by varying indicator recommendations, with little stakeholder coordination. We assessed currently included adolescent health-related indicators for their measurement focus, identified overlap across initiatives, and determined measurement gaps.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review to map the existing indicator landscape as depicted by major measurement initiatives. We classified indicators as per 33 previously identified core adolescent health measurement areas across five domains and by age groups. We also identified indicators common across measurement initiatives even if differing in details.

Results: We identified 413 indicators across 16 measurement initiatives, with most measuring health outcomes and conditions (162 [39%]) and health behaviors and risks (136 [33%]); followed by policies, programs, and laws (49 [12%]); health determinants (44 [11%]); and system performance and interventions (22 [5%]). Age specification was available for 221 (54%) indicators, with 51 (23%) focusing on the full adolescent age range (10-19 years), 1 (<1%) on 10-14 years, 27 (12%) on 15-19 years, and 142 (64%) on a broader age range including adolescents. No definitional information, such as numerator and denominator, was available for 138 indicators. We identified 236 distinct indicators after accounting for overlap.

Conclusion: The adolescent health measurement landscape is vast and includes substantial variation among indicators purportedly assessing the same concept. Gaps persist in measuring systems performance and interventions; policies, programs, and laws; and younger adolescents' health. Addressing these gaps and harmonizing measurement is fundamental to improve program implementation and accountability for adolescent health globally.

Keywords: Adolescent; Adolescent health; Adolescent health services; Global health; Health behavior; Health risk behavior; Health status indicators; Review; Social determinants of health; Youth health.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age coverage across adolescent health indicators. Note: This figure presents the 11 most common age ranges covered by indicators in the GAMA mapping. The figure presents all age ranges that occurred at least five times, accounting for 196 of the 221 indicators (87%) where a specific age range was provided. The ordering and width of each line present the relative frequency with which the age range occurred (least common = thinnest line, bottom of figure; most common = thickest line, top of figure). GAMA, Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent Health
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References

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