The National Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC) conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of approaches to and measures of positive youth development: Measuring the Positives: Review of Positive Indicators and Guidelines for their Use, The William T. Grant Foundation, September 2001. The following papers compare the theoretical frameworks of the primary schools of thought in this arena, and examine the domains and constructs of the variables utilized by each. The papers also identify potential pitfalls of inappropriate use of these measures, and offer recommendations for using positive indicators.

Developing a Conceptual Model to Select Indicators for the Assessment of Adolescent Health and Well-Being
This paper, the first in a series of three, presents the historical context for the use of health indicators in maternal and child health with a focus on adolescent health; describes the state of recent efforts to monitor the health and well-being of adolescents and their families; identifies the limitations of those efforts; and presents a framework for a new approach to adolescent health assessment.

Bridging the Gap: Next Steps in Developing and Using Indicators to Improve Adolescent Health
The second paper in the series reviews the most well-studied and articulated conceptual frameworks for positive adolescent development and behavior that are informing the evolution of new assessment tools and indicators; compares these approaches; reviews and synthesizes the evidence for, and scientific validity of, adolescent health indicators that are emerging today; and makes recommendations for the most promising approaches.

Assessing the "Multiple Processes" of Adolescent Health: Youth Development Approaches
The third, and final, paper proposes a framework for future efforts in the field and the development of a more comprehensive set of indicators.

⇒Data sources and tools for measuring adolescent health status