adolescents

19
Mar
2026
24 – 26 September 2026 : STRONGER TOGETHER – For Better Health among Children, Adolescents and Young Adults

24 – 26 September 2026 : STRONGER TOGETHER – For Better Health among Children, Adolescents and Young Adults

The Joint International Paediatric, School and Adolescent Medicine and Health Congress “STRONGER TOGETHER – For Better Health among Children, Adolescents and Young Adults” will be held from 24 – 26 September 2026 in Portorož, Slovenia. This event will bring together experts from across Europe who are dedicated to supporting young people in their transition from childhood to adulthood.

This congress is being organized collaboratively by four leading associations in the fields of pediatric, school, and adolescent health:

  • ZZP (Slovenian Paediatric Association of the Slovenian Medical Association)
  • EUSUHM (European Union for School and University Health and Medicine)
  • IAAH (International Association for Adolescent Health)
  • SSSAM (Slovenian Association for School, Student and Adolescent Medicine of the Slovenian Medical Association)

Scientific program

The scientific program will address current issues in physical and mental health, prevention, health promotion, and the social determinants affecting youth development.

The congress will also provide an excellent opportunity for networking, sharing experiences, and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration among professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Topics related to pediatrics, school, adolescent and student medicine and health

  • Preventive Medicine:
    screening programs, health education, public health campaigns, preventive health examinations, health promotion, vaccination, risk factors, environmental impacts on health
  • Sports Medicine:
    healthy athletic development, health risks for athletes, injury prevention, monitoring of physical performance, sports nutrition, rest and recovery
  • Chronic Diseases:
    challenges and support programs in the management of chronic patients, transition of care, modern approaches and therapies, monitoring of chronic patients
  • Sexual Health:
    education for healthy sexuality, contraception, sexual identity, sexually transmitted diseases
  • Emergency Medicine:
    2025 resuscitation guidelines
  • Mental Health:
    mental health care, recognition of mental health problems, support services, sources of help
  • Open Topics:
    development of school, student, and adolescent health care, health system policies, health-related behaviors in adolescents, other relevant topics

Abstract submission and more information

Abstract submission is open until 31 March 2026.

For more information visit the conference website.

Posted by Didier in News
04
Nov
2025
Special issue: Child and Adolescent Health in Europe and Central Asia

Special issue: Child and Adolescent Health in Europe and Central Asia

A special scientific issue by Public Health in Practice, available on ScienceDirect, brings together key articles that support the new Child and Adolescent Health (CAH) strategy in the WHO European Region by providing analysis, evidence and concrete recommendations for its implementation. The recently adopted strategy ‘A healthy start for a healthy life: a strategy for child and adolescent health and well-being in the WHO European Region 2026–2030’ is the result of extensive consultation with governments, experts, civil society and young people themselves. 

The UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education actively contributed to providing the evidence base for the CAH strategy through the article ‘School is more than a place to learn: An intersectoral assessment of adolescent well-being prior to and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the WHO European Region[1]’, which sheds light on the challenges of adolescent well-being, the impact of the pandemic and the importance of an intersectoral approach to schooling.

Other articles included in the special issue are:

[1] M. Limburg, M. Cronin, M. Black, J.C. Inchley, D. Jourdan, C. Jung-Sievers, P. McHale, E. Rehfuess, M.-C. Tsai, N.J. Gray. School is more than a place to learn: An intersectoral assessment of adolescent well-being prior to and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the WHO European Region. Public Health in Practice, Volume 10, 2025, 100654. ISSN 2666-5352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100654

Posted by Didier in News
08
Jul
2025
Recording available first webinar in series on future-proofing child and adolescent health in Europe and Central Asia 

Recording available first webinar in series on future-proofing child and adolescent health in Europe and Central Asia 

The first webinar in the webinar series on future-proofing child and adolescent health took place on 17 June 2025.
The webinar presented key findings from the new WHO/UNICEF fact sheets, which highlight urgent trends and emerging priorities for child and adolescent health and well-being in Europe and Central Asia. These evidence-based insights are informing the development of the forthcoming Regional Strategy on Child and Adolescent Health and Well-being (2026–2030).

In case you missed it—or would like to revisit the discussion—the full recording of the webinar is now available in English and Russian on the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development YouTube channel.

🎥 Watch the webinar here
🔎 You may view the PowerPoint slides here
💡 View the WHO/UNICEF fact sheets here

Upcoming webinars

The conversation continues with the next two webinars in the series:

  • Thursday 10 July, 10.00 CEST — A healthy start for a healthy life: orientation on the forth-coming WHO/UNICEF strategy for child and adolescent health and wellbeing in the European Region, and experiences from countries tackling child and adolescent health challenges 
  • Tuesday 16 September, 10.00 CEST — Implementation challenges and approaches

This webinar is organised by UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) under the auspices of the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development initiative. 

Posted by Didier in News
26
Jun
2025
Register now for the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health

Register now for the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health

Register before Monday 30 June for the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health and take advantage of the exclusive Early Bird Rate.

Join the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health, a premier gathering of health practitioners (public health, health promotion, clinicians) researchers, policy makers, NGOs, youth health advocates and others from across the Caribbean and Latin America, the Pacific, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania!

This year’s event promises to be an unforgettable experience, with thought-provoking discussions, insightful presentations, and unparalleled networking opportunities. The theme of the Congress “Beyond Awareness… Working for Change, with the subtheme “Taking Action for Adolescent Health in our Changing World”, emphasizes the urgency of moving from dialogue to tangible action at a time like this.

Don’t miss out:

  • Engage with global thought leaders and experts
  • Stay ahead of the curve with the latest trends and innovations
  • Network with like-minded professionals and forge meaningful connections
  • Showcase your work and expertise to a global audience
  • Experience the warmth and hospitality of Jamaica

UNESCO Chair’s contribution

Didier Jourdan and Nicola Gray, chairholders of the UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education, Adesola Olumide from Nigeria and Silja Kosola from Finland will be running a workshop entitled “Surfing or Drowning? Digital media and adolescent health, well-being and education”.

For more information and registration visit the conference website.

Posted by Didier in News
04
Jun
2025
Webinar series: Future proofing child and adolescent health in Europe and Central Asia

Webinar series: Future proofing child and adolescent health in Europe and Central Asia

Join the first webinar in a new series on future-proofing child and adolescent health in Europe and Central Asia.

This three-part series supports the development of the upcoming Regional Strategy on Child and Adolescent Health and Well-being (2026–2030), led by WHO and UNICEF Europe and Central Asia, and grounded in the latest data and evidence.

Webinar 1: Key Findings from WHO/UNICEF Fact Sheets

📅 Date: 17 June 2025
🕙 Time: 10:00–11:30 CET

💻 Platform: Zoom (registration required)

Languages: The webinar will be presented in English with simultaneous interpretation in Russian. Other languages may be added based on interest and country support.

Why attend?

Across the region, young children and adolescents face increasingly complex challenges: stagnating newborn survival rates, declining immunization coverage, rising rates of overweight and obesity, and setbacks in access to essential services. These trends—worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and socio-economic inequalities—underscore the need for renewed, coordinated action.

This webinar will:

  • Present key findings from new WHO/UNICEF fact sheets on child and adolescent health
  • Explore implications for early childhood health systems, services, and policies
  • Open a regional dialogue to inform the forthcoming strategy

Topics will include:

Child and adolescent mortality, immunization gaps, breastfeeding, early childhood development, overweight and obesity, digital environments, adolescent mental health, providing health services to children and adolescents, sexual and reproductive health, and the impact of COVID-19 on education and services.

Guided by five core principles—early investment, duty of care, protection from commercial harm, multisectoral governance, and accountability—this webinar sets the stage for a strategic, evidence-informed response across the region.

Stay tuned for more information about the speakers and upcoming webinars in the series.

This webinar is organised by UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) under the auspices of the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development initiative.

Stay engaged! Subscribe to the mailing list: https://issa.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?

Posted by Didier in News
22
May
2025
WHO guideline on preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries

WHO guideline on preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries

WHO launched the new WHO Guideline “Preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries”.

Adolescent pregnancy and child marriage are intertwined issues that hinder the realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents, and particularly of adolescent girls. Recent data show that first births to girls aged 17 years and younger, in 54 developing countries with data, occur within marriage or cohabiting unions.

Adolescent pregnancy remains a critical global issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where 21 million girls aged 15–19 become pregnant each year, half unintentionally. Child marriage, restrictive societal gender norms and stereotypes, and limited access to education and employment perpetuate cycles of early marriage and childbearing. 

Access to sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education remains limited. Many adolescents lack essential information on puberty, contraception, and sexual health. Barriers such as stigma, legal restrictions, and provider biases hinder access to contraception, with persistent inequities across regions and groups. 

The objectives of this guideline are the same as those of the 2011 edition, namely to provide evidence-based normative guidance on interventions to improve adolescent morbidity and mortality by reducing the chances of early pregnancy and its resulting poor health outcomes. The specific objectives of the guideline were to:

  1. identify effective interventions to prevent early pregnancy by influencing factors such as early marriage, coerced sex, unsafe abortion, access to contraceptives and access to maternal health services by adolescents; and
  2. provide an analytical framework for policy-makers and programme managers to use when selecting evidence-based interventions to prevent early pregnancy and negative health outcomes when they occur that are most appropriate for the needs of their countries and context.

The recommendations and best practice statements described in this document aim to enable evidence-based decision-making with respect to preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in low- and middle-income country contexts.

You can find the recording of the guideline launch webinar here, access to the guideline in English here, and the executive summary in French here and Spanish here.

Posted by Didier in News
07
Apr
2025
Article: Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Healthcare Professional Associations, and the Future of the World’s Youth

Article: Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Healthcare Professional Associations, and the Future of the World’s Youth

Just published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Science Direct: “Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Healthcare Professional Associations, and the Future of the World’s Youth”[1].

Sexual and reproductive health rights are agreed in international laws. In recent years, however, diminishing reproductive health rights have been seen across the globe, including limitations in the provision of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for adolescents and young adults (AYAs). CSE aims to empower AYAs to realize their health and dignity, consider the impact of their health choices, and develop respectful relationships in order for them to lead their best lives. Recognizing these increasing threats to what AYAs need and want, five healthcare professional associations engaged in discussion with UN agencies and each other about advocating effectively for evidence-based CSE; this commentary summarizes five policy statements motivated by these discussions and registers publicly their collective organizations’ support for CSE in schools.

Four common themes about CSE were drown out of the five position statements that the five associations published in 2023-24. Collectively, they offer a compelling case for the ongoing promotion and scale-up of CSE within national curricula in schools. They also highlight the roles of healthcare professionals in advocacy and in practical capacity-building support for schools, families, and communities:

  • CSE Is Vital for the Healthy Growth and Development of Children and AYAs—It is Not an “Optional Extra”
  • CSE Development Needs the Involvement of Children and AYAs
  • CSE Is an Intersectoral Endeavor
  • Members of Healthcare Professional Associations Have Untapped Agency in Advocacy for Evidence-Based CSE

The five healthcare professional association:

  • International Federation of Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (FIGIJ)
  • International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 
  • International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH)
  • International Pediatric Association (IPA) 
  • World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)

Read the full article

Read support statements

[1] Nicola J. Gray, C.P. Bansal, Esther Corona, Yasmin Jayasinghe, Melissa Kang, Marisa Labovsky, Aparna Sridhar, Linda Sussman, Jonathan D. Klein. Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Healthcare Professional Associations, and the Future of the World’s Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2025. ISSN 1054-139X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.02.002.

Posted by Didier in News
07
Apr
2025
Webinar School is more than a place to learn – 22 June 2025

Webinar School is more than a place to learn – 22 June 2025

School is more than a place to learn: An intersectoral assessment of adolescent well-being prior to and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the WHO European Region

13:00 – 14:00 GMT, Wednesday 22th June 2025

Chaired by: Professor Ingrid Wolfe OBE, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Population Health, Consultant Paediatric Population Medicine, Kings College, London

Speakers: 

  • Dr. Nicola Gray, Co-Chair, UNESCO Chair ‘Global Health & Education’
  • Mary Cronin, Specialty Registrar in Public Health
  • Dr. Maximilian Limburg, Specialty Registrar in Public Health

A webinar supporting the development of a new WHO/UNICEF regional strategy for Child and Adolescent Health in Europe and Central Asia, as part of our Public Health in Practice Special Issue

This webinar will present a research study that examined changes in adolescent well-being across the WHO European Region following the Covid-19 pandemic. Adolescent well-being was assessed using the UN H6+ framework, which includes: 1) Good health and optimal nutrition, 2) Connectedness, positive values, and societal contribution, 3) Safety and a supportive environment, 4) Learning, competence, education, skills, and employability, and 5) Agency and resilience. Secondary analysis of data from two large datasets concerning adolescents, the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), revealed a decline in well-being across European countries from 2018 (pre-pandemic) to 2022 (post-pandemic). Additionally, the study highlighted a significant widening of educational inequalities in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Key Issues for Debate:

  1. How can we prevent existing inequalities in educational attainment from widening?
  2. How can we improve our data collection strategies about school closure impact for future health crises?
  3. What would an intersectoral strategy on adolescent well-being look like, to minimize the impact of future emergency measures?

More information and registration

Posted by Didier in News
04
Apr
2024
Join the Scientific & Abstract Review Committees for the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health

Join the Scientific & Abstract Review Committees for the 13th IAAH World Congress on Adolescent Health

The International Association for Adolescent Health’s 13th World Congress will be held in Jamaica on November 6-8, 2025. IAAH is looking for volunteers to assist with developing and refining keynote, plenary sessions, workshops, and symposia sessions, and youth participation activities, as well as persons to help with reviewing submitted abstracts and workshop proposals.

You are invited to share your experience, knowledge, and expertise by joining the Scientific and/or Abstract Review Committees. Committees will be asked for written input several times over the coming months, and will have 3 or 4 conference calls or webinar meetings for these committees over the next 18 months as a part of program planning.

Please click here to complete the survey to sign up for these important committees.

Posted by Didier in News
10
May
2022
22nd IAAH European Regional Conference – Youth Development Challenges in the post-COVID-19 era, 5-7 October 2022

22nd IAAH European Regional Conference – Youth Development Challenges in the post-COVID-19 era, 5-7 October 2022

The 22nd International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH) European Regional Conference “Youth Development Challenges in the post-COVID-19 era” will be held in Athens, Greece on October 5th-7th, 2022. It is locally organized by the Greek/Hellenic Society for Adolescent Medicine (GSAM) and mainly focuses on youth development during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on youth physical and mental health, education, development and overall well-being may raise dilemmas in the management and the control of immediate or long-term consequences. Action through multidisciplinary approaches is required and knowledge of physical and psychosocial aspects, as well as possible aetiological factors, burden of co-morbidities, prevention and treatment options, as well as counselling and support strategies are prerequisites for every effort of controlling the situation and will constitute the main core of the scientific programme. Formal and non-formal education, youth-friendly services and safe digital spaces that help young people make healthier choices and develop healthy relationships, are also a topic of great interest in this conference.

An update on other important Adolescent Medicine topics, such as nutrition, vaccination, skin conditions, contraception, sports medicine, etc. will be presented.

Participants

Medical doctors of different specialties, other health professionals and specialists e.g., psychologists, social workers, educators, dieticians, physical fitness experts, etc. are welcome to participate and contribute to the works of the IAAH conference by exchanging experience and expertise, as well as difficulties encountered in different countries.

Format of the conference

Interactive workshops, symposia, round tables will take place and experts will present key topics in plenary sessions. Oral and poster presentations will highlight novel research ideas. Youth participation during the conference will enrich discussions and debates.

The deadline for the submission of abstracts is on June 10th, 2022.

For abstract submission and more information please see the conference website.

Posted by Didier in News