Twitter Chats

The Office of Adolescent Health hosts Twitter chats to highlight adolescent health topics and raise awareness of best practices and resources that will help improve the health and well-being of America's adolescents.

#ServingYMOC Twitter Chat

The Office of Adolescent Health (@TeenHealthGov) is hosting a Twitter chat to discuss ways to help young men of color engage as leaders and contributors within their communities, and how providing opportunities for this engagement can support programs’ recruitment and retention efforts among young men. During the chat, there will be an emphasis on working with young men of color who are fathers and how they can be leaders and positive role models in their families and their communities.

We encourage all those who care about adolescent boys and young men to join the Twitter chat. Participants will have the opportunity to share best practices, challenges, lessons learned, and resources for working with young men of color.

Date and Time: Thursday, June 16th from 1:00-2:00 pm ET

Co-hosts: The HHS Office of Minority Health (@MinorityHealth), the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African Americans (@AfAmEducation), and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (@HispanicEd)

Special Guest: National CARES Mentoring Movement (@CARES_Mentoring)

Hashtag: #ServingYMOC

Read the 2016 #ServingYMOC conversation on Storify.

#NTPPM Twitter Chat

Every May, the nation turns its attention to teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) for a full month. National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month highlights the historic declines in teen birth rates in the United States. Significant declines have occurred in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups, but disparities continue.

Want to get involved? A #NTPPM Twitter chat, hosted by OAH (@TeenHealthGov) and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (@TheNC), will highlight National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month and various topics and initiatives related to pregnancy, including progress made in prevention, how people can support prevention efforts, and resources communities can use to prevent teen pregnancy. See other events planned for the month here.

Date and Time: Friday, May 6th from 12:00-1:00 pm ET

Co-host: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (@TheNC)

Hashtag: #NTPPM

Read the 2016 #NTPPM conversation on Storify.

#Mentor4Dads Twitter Chat

As we approach Father’s Day, the Office of Adolescent Health is thinking about the fathers of tomorrow. Please join us for a Twitter chat to discuss mentoring young men so that they can develop critical life skills and become the engaged dads of the future. We know that fathers’ positive engagement is beneficial for both families and communities, and that many young men may not have the guidance and role models to help prepare them for fatherhood. Mentoring can help make a difference.

This #Mentor4Dads Twitter chat, hosted by OAH from @TeenHealthGov, will discuss the tools that young men need today and to grow into responsible fathers in the future. The chat will also describe best practices in mentoring, discuss how to mentor young men who are already fathers, and identify helpful resources. We hope all those who work with young men will join us.

Date and Time: Wednesday, June 17th from 2:00-3:00 pm ET

Co-host: Americorps VISTA (@AmeriCorpsVISTA)

Special Guest: YouthBuild USA National Mentoring Alliance (@YouthBuildNMA)

Hashtag: #Mentor4Dads

TwitterChat on #TeenSummer Safety

June is both National Safety Month and the beginning of teens’ highly anticipated summer break. Nice weather should be a time for summer fun, not summer injuries! This Twitter chat, hosted by the Office of Adolescent Health (@TeenHealthGov), will provide youth-serving professionals and other caring adults information on why sun, swim, driving, bike, and pedestrian safety matter to adolescent health and best practices to encourage safety in these areas.

Date and Time: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 from 3:00-4:00 pm ET

Co-Hosts: The Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (@CDCInjury), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (@NHTSAGov), and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Council (@PoolSafely).

Special Guests:The National Safety Council (@NSCsafety), the Center for Injury Research Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Flaura Winston (@SafetyMD), and National Organization for Youth Safety (@NOYSNews).

Hashtag: #TeenSummer

Read the 2014 #TeenSummer conversation on Storify.

#TeenNutrition Twitter Chat

Please join us for a Twitter chat to discuss best practices in nutrition for all adolescents, and what youth-serving programs and professionals can do to help teens adopt and maintain healthy nutrition habits. Other than the first year of life, there is no other developmental period during which individuals grow more than during the period of adolescence.1   These years are the time to form positive habits, including nutrition practices, that will improve adolescents’ long-term health and wellbeing.  

This Twitter chat, hosted by the Office of Adolescent Health (@TeenHealthGov), will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to connect with each other and learn more about why healthy eating is important in the lives of adolescents, best practices and tips for helping adolescents eat balanced diets, and what programs can do to help teens achieve healthy nutrition practices. We’ll also discuss a range of helpful resources. Please note that this chat is for educational purposes only and is not intended to dispense medical advice.  For personal health questions, please contact your healthcare provider.

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 22nd from 3:00-4:00 pm ET

Co-Hosts: USDA Food and Nutrition Service (@USDANutrition), NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (@NIH_NHLBI),  the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (@NICHD_NIH), and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (@healthfinder).

Special Guest: Taylor Wolfram MS RD, Evidence-Based Practice Manager for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (@TaylorEatRight)

Hashtag: #TeenNutrition

Read the #TeenNutrition conversation on Storify

1Spear, B. A. (2002). Adolescent growth and development. J Am Diet Assoc, 102(3 Suppl), S23-29.

Twitter Chat on #EngagingDads

Please join us for a Twitter chat to discuss best practices in fatherhood, and what youth-serving programs and professionals can do to engage dads in the lives of their adolescent. We know that having a father’s positive influence is beneficial for both families and communities, [1] and that programs can make a difference when it comes to engaging fathers in their adolescents lives. [2]

This Twitter chat, hosted by the Office of Adolescent Health (@TeenHealthGov), will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to connect with each other and learn more about why fathers are important in the lives of adolescents, best practices and tips for parenting adolescents, and what programs can do to engage all fathers – both those already involved in their adolescent’s life, and those who may not be. We’ll also discuss a range of helpful resources.

Date and Time: Wednesday, November 20th from 3:00- 4:00 pm ET

Co-Hosts: The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (@FatherhoodGov) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (@CDCGov)

Special Guests: The National Fatherhood Initiative (@TheFatherFactor)

Hashtag: #EngagingDads

Read the #EngagingDads conversation on Storify

[1] The White House. (2012). “Promoting Responsible Fatherhood.” Retrieved October 22, 2013 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/fatherhood_report_6.13.12_final.pdf
[2] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (1996) “Responsible Fathering: An Overview and Conceptual Framework.” Retrieved October 22, 2013

#CollegeHealth Twitter Chat on Adolescents Transition to College

The Office of Adolescent Health has gone back to school! Please join us for a Twitter chat on promoting the health of adolescents as they settle into college. A record 21.8 million students are anticipated to be attending American colleges and universities this fall. While it is an exciting time for them, it can also be a significant transition - which also means big changes for health. College means more individual responsibility for health, new relationships, and potential new stressors. Fortunately, there are many ways professionals on and near college campuses, as well as other caring adults, can support adolescents so that their transition to college is a healthy one.

This Twitter chat, hosted by the Office of Adolescent Health @TeenHealthGov), will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to connect with each other and learn more about health in college, including students’ management of their health; their physical, emotional, and mental health; substance use on campuses; and their relationships. We’ll discuss a range of helpful best practices and resources.

Date and Time: Wednesday, September 25th from 3:00-4:00pm ET

Special Guests: University of Wisconsin-Madison Student Health Center (@UHS_Madison) and the American College Health Association (@ACHA_Tweets)

Hashtag: #CollegeHealth

Read the #CollegeHealth conversation on Storify!

#TeenSummer! Twitter Chat on Adolescent Summer Safety

Please join us for a Twitter chat on adolescent summer safety! June marks National Safety Month and the beginning of teens’ highly anticipated summer break. But summer also poses safety concerns. Sun exposure can increase a teen’s risk of skin cancer, and other summer activities like swimming, biking, hiking and more can raise the likelihood of a host of adolescent injuries. Youth-serving professionals and other caring adults can help adolescents stay safe this summer.

This Twitter chat, hosted by the Office of Adolescent Health (@TeenHealthGov) will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to connect with each other and learn more about adolescent summer safety, including why sun, swim, bike, pedestrian, and tick safety matter for health and wellness, best practices to encourage safety in these areas, and a range of helpful resources.

Date and Time: Thursday, June 20th, 2013 from 3:00-4:00 pm ET. June isNational Safety Month!

Co-Hosts:The Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (@CDCInjury) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (@NHTSAGov). Special Guests the National Organization for Youth Safety (@NOYSNoise) and Flaura Winston, MD, PhD and Mark Zonfrillo, MD, MSCE (@SafetyMD) will also join the chat.

Hashtag:#TeenSummer

Read the #TeenSummer conversation on Storify!

#MoveInMay Twitter Chat on Adolescent Physical Fitness and Sports

Please join us for a Twitter chat on physical fitness and sports during adolescence! Other than the first year of life, there is no other developmental period during which individuals grow more than during adolescence. Regular exercise during the teenage years can help adolescents maintain a healthy weight, tone muscles and build strong bones, sleep better and improve their mood, and strengthen their immune system. Unfortunately, almost one in three adolescents spends at least three recreational hours a day in front of a TV or computer. Youth-serving professionals and other caring adults can help adolescents become and stay active through physical activity and sports.

This Twitter chat, hosted by the Office of Adolescent Health (@TeenHealthGov), will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to connect with each other and learn more about physical fitness and sports involvement among adolescents, including why being active matters for health and wellness, best practices to encourage fitness in the teenage years, and a range of helpful resources.

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 from 3:30 – 4:15 pm ET. May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and May 12th through the 18th is National Women’s Health Week!

Co-Hosts: The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (@FitnessGov), the Office on Women’s Health (@WomensHealth and @GirlsHealth), and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (@GoHealthyPeople). Special Guest GENYOUth Foundation (@GENYOUthNow) will also join the chat.

Hashtag: #MoveInMay

Read the #MoveInMay conversation on Storify!

Twitter Chat on Adolescent Alcohol Use

Please join us for a Twitter chat on alcohol use and adolescent health. More adolescents drink alcohol than smoke cigarettes or use marijuana—combined. Underage drinking endangers teens in multiple ways, including motor vehicle crashes, a leading cause of death for this age group, and the potential for addiction that can last throughout their lives. Youth-serving professionals can help adolescents make the right choices.

This Twitter chat, hosted by OAH from @TeenHealthGov, will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to learn more about adolescent alcohol use, including binge drinking, and how alcohol affects adolescent health. We will also discuss best practices to prevent and stop alcohol use in the teenage years, and identify a range of helpful resources.

Date and time: Thursday, April 18th, 2013 from 3:30-4:15pm ET. April is National Alcohol Awareness Month.

Co-host:@NIAAANews, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, within the National Institutes of Health. Special guest @NCADDNational, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., will also join the chat.

Hashtag: #AlcoholChat

Read the #AlcoholChat conversation on Storify!

Twitter Chat on Teen Dating Violence

Please join us for a Twitter chat on teen dating violence. One in five female survivors of intimate partner violence were first victimized between the ages of 11 and 17 (CDC, 2011). This February, we recognize National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month by continuing the national dialogue about engaging youth to help prevent abuse. OAH (@TeenHealthGov) will participate in this Twitter chat, hosted by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (@NationalDVAM), and will share tools, techniques, and resources for advocates, parents, educators, peer men¬tors, and others to support youth in realizing healthy, respectful, positive relationships.

Date and time:  Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 at 3:00pm ET.

Hashtag: #ReachYouth

Twitter Chat on Mentoring

Please join us for a Twitter chat on mentoring and adolescent health! Evidence continues to emerge on the importance of caring adults to adolescents’ mental health, physical health, and to their relationships. Mentors can help make a difference. This Twitter chat on the topic of mentoring in adolescence, and hosted by OAH from @TeenHealthGov, will enable those who work with and care about adolescents to learn more about mentoring, discuss best practices, and identify a range of helpful mentoring resources.

Date and time:  Thursday, January 17th, 2013 from 2:00-2:30pm ET. January is National Mentoring Month, and January 17th is National Thank Your Mentor Day.

Co-host:@GirlsHealth, a website of the Office on Women’s Health within HHS.

Special Invited Guest: Stephen Powell, Executive Director of @MentoringUSA.

Hashtag: #MentorTeens

Read the #MentorTeens conversation on Storify!

Last updated: October 06, 2016