Critical junctures: assuring healthy outcomes for adolescents in the new millennium.

Adolescence represents one of the key transitional periods in the life course. During adolescence, individuals are particularly sensitive to environmental or contextual inputs and undergo tremendous physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth and development, developing habits, behavior patterns, and relationships that influence their lifelong health outcomes. This article provides an overview of the current status of adolescent health in the United States, key examples of areas in which health improvements have been achieved over the past decade, and recent developments in adolescent health policy, including opportunities within health care reform and other federal efforts, that should serve to improve adolescent health over the next decade.