Office of Adolescent Health | OAH Overview July 2012

OAH Overview

The Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) was established within the Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Health in 2010. OAH coordinates adolescent health promotion and disease 

prevention programs and initiatives across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

(HHS) and works in partnership with other HHS agencies to support evidence-based 

approaches to improve the health of adolescents. 

OAH operates grant programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy and supporting pregnant and 

parenting teens and maintains a substantial evaluation portfolio associated with these grants. 

In addition, OAH provides on-going training and technical assistance to its grantees and 

collaborates extensively with the other HHS agencies which fund teen pregnancy prevention 

programs.

 Identifying Evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

In 2010, HHS conducted an independent review of the evidence on programs to reduce 

pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and associated risky sexual behaviors among 

teens age 19 and younger. Studies, which were published or produced between 1989 and 

2009, were assessed for the quality of the study design and the strength of the methods used 

in implementing the program evaluation. Of the approximately 1,000 potentially relevant 

studies, 199 met screening criteria. Of these, 93 studies received a high or moderate rating. 

From the 93 studies, 28 model programs were identified which make up the HHS List of 

Evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs. A searchable database of the model 

programs and a description of the evidence review methods are located on the OAH Web site 

at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/tpp/tpp-database.html

The HHS List of Evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs includes programs which 

use a number of approaches—abstinence, sexual health education, youth development, and 

programs for delivery in clinical settings and for special populations—all of which show 

positive results in at least one rigorous program evaluation. The evidence review will be 

updated periodically. 

 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative

The evidence-based programs on the HHS List of Evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention 

Programs provide a solid foundation for OAH to develop and implement discretionary grant 

programs that will contribute knowledge to the field. OAH administers two teen pregnancy 

prevention grant programs and works in concert with closely-aligned programs which are 

supported by other agencies. 
About the Office of Adolescent Health, HHS

Office of Adolescent Health | OAH Overview

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Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program: Competitive grants were made to public and 

private entities in 2010 to fund medically accurate and age appropriate programs that 

prevent and reduce teen pregnancy. Two types of programs are supported: 

- Replication of Evidence-based Programs: In order to learn more about how 

programs which were shown to be effective in reducing sexual health risks in one 

setting perform in another setting or with a different population, OAH funds 

replications of 23 program models from the HHS List through 75 different grantees. 

Organizations applying for the grant funding selected the appropriate program 

model/s to replicate based on their communities’ needs. Program models being

replicated include: nine abstinence projects, 45 sexual health education projects, 30 

youth development projects, seven clinic-based projects, and four projects for special 

populations. 

- Research and Demonstration Projects: In order to develop and test additional 

models and innovative strategies to prevent teen pregnancy, OAH funds 19 TPP 

research and demonstrations programs and the Administration on Children and 

Families (ACF) funds an additional 13 innovative strategy projects targeting very high 

risk populations such as youth in foster care and homeless youth. OAH also provides 

funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to manage eight 

additional innovative community-based initiatives among high risk populations. The 

agencies collaborate to provide technical assistance, information exchange, and 

reporting among grantees. See the complete listing of grantees at 

http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/grants/current-grantees.html

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TPP Program Evaluation: A performance measurement system has been developed and will 

be implemented in 2012 for all TPP grantees. Performance measures include grant-level 

measures of the processes and accomplishments of the project and participant-level 

measures of the impact of the project on the young people it serves. 

Some projects have an independent evaluation of their project underway which can utilize 

up to 25% of their grant funding. To ensure that the evaluations meet the standards set 

forth by the HHS evidence review, OAH provides extensive training and technical assistance. 

All grantee evaluation plans are reviewed and approved by OAH.

OAH and ASPE are carrying out two federal-led evaluations of a sub-set of replication and 

demonstration grant projects. 

TPP Replication Study Evaluation assesses whether program models are achieving 

impacts when implemented with different populations in different settings. Three 

popular program models (¡Cuidate! (Take Care of Yourself), Reducing the Risk and 

Safer Sex) are being assessed, each in three sites, for a total of nine sites participating 

in this study. The contractor is Abt Associates.
About the Office of Adolescent Health, HHS

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- Evaluation of Pregnancy Prevention Approaches assesses three OAH TPP Research 

and Demonstration Projects, three ACF innovative strategies projects, and one nonfederally funded site to add to the evidence base of program models and strategies. 

Mathematica Policy Research is the evaluation contractor.

 Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF)

OAH funds competitive grants to states and Tribal entities to provide pregnant and parenting 

adolescents and women with a seamless network of supportive services to help them 

complete high school or postsecondary degrees and gain access to health care, child care, 

family housing, and other critical support. PAF funds are also used to improve services for 

pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual assault and 

stalking. OAH provides extensive training and technical assistance to the grantees. An 

evaluation of the PAF program is creating case studies to document grantee activities, and 

generate lessons for strengthening programs and services for the populations served. See the 

complete listing of grantees at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/grants/current-grantees.html

and visit the PAF Resource and Training Center at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oahinitiatives/paf.

 National Resource Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention among Adolescents

With a competitive award from the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund, OAH created a 

National Resource Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention among Adolescents (Center) which can be 

accessed at http://preventyouthhiv.org/. The Center supports adolescent service providers 

with web-based resources, evidence-based research, and training and technical assistance to 

promote HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents, in particular adolescents from minority and 

high-risk populations. The Center is operated by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of 

New Jersey (UMDNJ) working closely with the University of California San Francisco’s Center 

for HIV Information and the National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers.

 OAH Communications

In 2011, OAH established a monthly e-newsletter on adolescent health topics and launched a 

fully re-designed Web site which disseminates information on adolescent health to health and 

social service professionals who work with young people. The Web site also contains 

information for parents on ways they can positively influence the health of their teens and 

information for OAH grantees. OAH is building its Twitter presence @TeenHealthGov and 

plans to launch a Facebook page to reach additional viewers with information on adolescent 

health. The OAH Web site can be accessed at http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/

 Adolescent Health Working Group

OAH convenes the Adolescent Health Working Group (AHWG) which provides a forum for HHS 

agencies and a few other federal agencies to learn from each other and support a full-range of 

evidence-based approaches to improve adolescent health, to address adolescents’ 

health risks, and highlight programs focused on positive youth development. 
About the Office of Adolescent Health, HHS

Office of Adolescent Health | OAH Overview

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 OAH Budget FY2012

Teen Pregnancy 

Prevention 

Initiative (TPP) 

Grants, 

$100,000,000 

TPP Program 

Support, 

$4,592,000 

Public Health 

Service (PHS) 

Evaluation of TPP, 

$8,450,000 

Pregnancy 

Assistance Fund 

Program, 

$25,000,000 

OAH, $1,098,000