Strategies

Match disadvantaged or at-risk youth with volunteer mentors in school or community settings

Restrict child-focused advertising for unhealthy foods and beverages via bans on unhealthy food and drink ads during children’s TV programs, product placement in children’s movies, etc.

Establish high deductible health plans paired with pre-tax medical expense accounts such as Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) or Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and information tools

Delay school start times for middle and high schools to better align with adolescent sleep-wake cycles; often until after 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.

Make pricing for hospital procedures and other health care services publicly available, often via websites, online databases, report cards, or similar tools

Limit access to competitive foods and beverages in schools via restrictions on foods that are not provided through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.

Help students process trauma exposure and develop coping skills through individual or small group counseling with mental health professionals or school staff with trauma-specific training

Adopt a multi-tiered approach within schools to address the needs of trauma-exposed youth, including school-wide changes, screenings, and individual intensive support

Increase the price of snack products high in sugar and fat by adding an excise or sales tax

Deliver a curriculum-based program that helps all students learn to recognize warning signs of suicide in themselves and others in a school setting