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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Vital Signs: Demographic and Substance Use Trends Among Heroin Users — United States, 2002-2013
FDA and CDC analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and National Vital Statistics System during 2002-2013 to assess trends in heroin use among demographic and particular substance-using groups. Results show that heroin use has increased significantly across most demographic groups. Results also suggest an increase in heroin abuse or dependence parallels the increase in heroin-related overdose deaths, and reflects heroin use is occurring in the context of broader poly-substance use.
Report: Frequency of Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students
Researchers from CDC and FDA analyzed data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey to determine how frequently middle school and high school students in the United States used cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco products. Among current users in high school, frequent use was most prevalent among smokeless tobacco users, followed by cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and cigar smokers. Among current users in middle school, frequent use was greatest among smokeless tobacco users, followed by cigarette smokers, cigar smokers, and e-cigarette users. Current use of two or more types of tobacco products was common.
Report: Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students
Researchers from CDC and FDA analyzed data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey to determine the prevalence of current use of flavored e-cigarette, hookah tobacco, cigar, pipe tobacco, or smokeless tobacco products, and menthol cigarettes among middle and high school students. An estimated 70% of all current youth tobacco users had used at least one flavored tobacco product in the past 30 days. Among current users, 63.3% used a flavored e-cigarette, 60.6% had used flavored hookah tobacco, and 63.5% had used a flavored cigar.
Share with Youth: This Free Life
This campaign aims to prevent and reduce tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) young adults, ages 18-24, who are occasional smokers. As highlighted in a recent blog post describing the campaign, LGBT young adults in the United States are nearly twice as likely to use tobacco as other young adults.
Resource: New Tobacco Product Regulations
These regulations extend FDA authority to regulate all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, hookah, and cigars. According to the new rules, retailers will no longer be able to sell e-cigarettes, cigars, or other covered tobacco products to anyone under age 18 and all tobacco sales to those 26 and under will require photo identification.
Report: Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students — U.S., 2011–2016
This report analyzes data from the 2011–2016 National Youth Tobacco Surveys to determine recent patterns of current use of seven tobacco product types among U.S. middle and high school students. Decreases in cigarette and cigar use during 2011–2016 were offset by increases in hookah and e-cigarette use, resulting in no significant change in any tobacco use. In 2016, e-cigarettes remained the most commonly-used tobacco product among high school and middle school students.
Computers for Learning
The CFL program's ambitious goal is to make modern computer technology an integral part of every classroom so that every child has the opportunity to be educated to his or her full potential.
Parents, Lock Up Your Drugs
While children and teens are home on winter break, parents are encouraged to hide or secure their medications to avoid accidental ingestion or abuse.
What You Need to Know About Kids and Concussions
Featured by Kids.gov, this article provides parents with a general overview of concussions, including information about symptoms, treatments, when to seek help, and when it is okay for children to return to normal activities following a concussion. Follow the hashtag #CDCHeadsUp on Twitter or like the CDC's Heads Up Facebook page to receive updates and join the conversation about concussions.
Back-to-School Vaccinations: Be a Step Ahead
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and with school just around the corner, it is a good time to ensure children and teens are up-to-date on their vaccines. This resource provides links to information about immunization and where parents can take children to receive vaccines
10 Tips To Get Ready for Back to School
Kids.gov developed 10 tips that can help parents make the transition back to school easier for students. Tips address topics like time management, back to school shopping, and talking with teachers.
Share with Youth: A Friend of a Friend Might Be a Scammer
This article describes a scam known as “farcing,” in which users receive a friend request from someone with whom they supposedly share mutual friends, only to have the scammer collect their personal data. It also provides tips for identity protection when using social media.
Share with Youth: Don’t Fall for These Scams: Phishing and Vishing
This article explains two kinds of scams: phishing, occurring through fraudulent e-mails that ask the recipient to verify personal information, and vishing, in which a scammer may make contact over the phone to request this information. It also provides tips for what those who think they may be a victim of one of these scams can do.
Resource: How to Get Food Stamps (SNAP Food Benefits)
This resource describes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as “food stamps,” and explains how to access benefits, become a SNAP food benefits retailer, and report fraud.
Resource: Kids.gov Re-envisioned
This blog post describes the re-envisioning of Kids.gov, a project which aims to improve the site to better suit the public’s needs.
Resource: Support for Families When a Suicide Attempt Hits Home
This resource provides information, tips, and useful links to families who have experienced a suicide attempt to assist in getting appropriate help and to foster resiliency.
Problem-Oriented Guides for Police
The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police summarize knowledge about how police can reduce the harm caused by specific crime and disorder problems. They are guides to prevention and to improving the overall response to incidents, not to investigating offenses or handling specific incidents.
IACP Launches No-Cost Online Training on Child Trafficking
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), in collaboration with COPS and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Section, released “Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers.” This free, self-paced online course will educate frontline officers on how to recognize and respond to victims of child sex trafficking.
Resource: Focused Deterrence of High-Risk Individuals: Response Guide No. 13
This guide, developed by the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, describes the concept of focused deterrence initiatives (FDI), administering and leading an FDI, and applying focused deterrence to specific crime problems. Police and police departments can use this guide to design and implement local FDIs.
Resources: High School Issue Briefs
These issue briefs are the latest in a series that presents strategies high schools can use to help at-risk students stay in school and graduate:
- Case Management for High Schools
Provides information on case management, a school-based dropout prevention strategy
in which a social worker or school professional advises students and connects them to services to address their academic and non-academic needs - Social Services
Describes the social services high schools can provide to address the non-academic issues that can negatively affect student participation and outcomes, such as health care, mental health care, and assistance with shelter, clothing, or transportation
Enhancing Cultural Competence in Social Service Agencies: A Promising Approach to Serving Diverse Children and Families
This brief from HHS's Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation summarizes the state of the field on cultural competence in social services and provides service providers and administrators with concrete strategies for ongoing self-reflection and development. The brief also includes links and references for additional relevant resources, tools, and information.
Interim Report for the Department of Labor Youth Offender Demonstration Project: Process Evaluation
The U.S. Departments of Labor and Justice funded 14 local demonstration projects designed to assist youth at risk of criminal involvement, youth offenders, and gang members ages 14 through 24 into long-term employment . This process evaluation provides an interim assessment of the implementation process undertaken by each project and determines the extent to which each was effective in building upon existing programs and systems to serve targeted youth.
The Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP): Launching a Nationwide Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Effort
Authorized by Congress through the Affordable Care Act, PREP was designed to reduce teen pregnancies and their negative consequences. State PREP grantees had discretion to design their programs, but were expected to be evidence-based, provide education on both abstinence and contraceptive use, and educate youth on at least three of six adulthood preparation topics. States are also encouraged to target their programming to high-risk populations. This report illustrates states’ program decisions, using data gathered through telephone interviews with state grantee officials. Learn more (PDF, 92 pages).
Identifying and Serving LGBTQ Youth: Case Studies of Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Grantees
This report from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) highlights the findings from case studies of four agencies receiving grants from the ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. It includes information on the collection and use of sexual orientation and gender identity data, needs and capacities among LGBTQ runaway and homeless youth, approaches to serving this population, and gaps in research and services for practitioners and policymakers to consider.
Usability.gov
Usability.gov is a one-stop source for government web designers to learn how to make websites more usable, useful, and accessible.