Pathways to adolescent health: early intervention.

OBJECTIVES: The wisdom of early intervention is one of the most strongly held beliefs in health care. However, although the intention to intervene early is generally believed to be a good one, too often we don't know when to do it, on whom to do it, and how to do it. Furthermore, if we consider the effectiveness of the interventions that have been used widely over the last 20 years we would have to conclude that although we have had some modest gains with issues such as teenage pregnancy, we have not been successful with most early intervention efforts. The development of more effective early interventions in adolescent populations requires a thorough appreciation and application of the theoretical and developmental bases of health behaviors and behavioral change.
METHODS: These analyses were achieved through a review of the literature relevant to interventions in a variety of problem behaviors in adolescents. RESULTS/
CONCLUSIONS: This review has demonstrated that although we don't have all of the answers we have the technological means to achieve greater success from early intervention. However, these benefits to our youth cannot be realized unless policies are developed that support the utilization and implementation of the most effective theory-based methodologies. Furthermore, these policies must be supported by research that enhances the translation of these effective interventions into broad national applications.