The series comprises more than 25 videos highlighting the intersection of health, human rights, and community on topics including menstruation, sexual health, consent, safety and mental health
ITASCA, IL (October 11, 2021) – To provide adolescents with straightforward, medically accurate information about their bodies and their health, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is launching a series of new videos focused on the topics teens ask most frequently. That includes questions about periods and self-care, how to find a therapist, what to do if someone asks for a nude photo, and other questions teens may ask their doctors—or search for online.
The videos were produced in partnership with YouTube, the Young Women’s Freedom Center, and Vital Voices Global Partnership and released on Oct. 11, which is the International Day of the Girl, a day recognized by the United Nations to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. Together, the videos aim to empower and educate teens about their bodies, overall health and well-being.
The Body of Knowledge video series on YouTube and YouTube Shorts explores five pillars of health: Safety, Menstruation, Mental Health & Self-Care, Consent, and Sexual Wellbeing and provides teens with medically accurate information and honest conversations about their bodies.
The campaign seeks to help answer teens’ top health questions by cutting through the noise of unreliable influencers and anti-science, non-evidenced based content found online. The video series includes five long-form, conversational videos hosted by YouTube content creator and activist Hailey Sani, along with AAP pediatricians and girls’ rights defenders from non-governmental organizations.
“This video series is an incredible resource for girls and teens that touches on important health topics—topics that often get introduced to them in harmful ways, steeped in misinformation,” said Elizabeth Alderman, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Bronx, N.Y., and Chair of the AAP Committee on Adolescence. Dr. Alderman appears in the video on consent, in which she offers her perspective as a pediatrician. “Whether it’s free testing, confidentiality of care, condom use or sexually transmitted infections, it's important to discuss these topics and that teens understand their rights.”
The Body of Knowledge video series also includes AAP pediatricians; Rebekah Fenton, MD, FAAP, Chicago, Ill.; Hina Talib, MD, FAAP, New York, N.Y.; Sophia Yen, MD, MPH, FAAP, Sunnyvale, Calif.; Janet Lee, MD, FAAP, Queens, N.Y.; Cynthia M. Holland-Hall, MD, MPH, FAAP, Columbus, Ohio; May Chi Lau, MD, FAAP, Dallas, Texas; Makia Powers, MD, MPH, MSc, FAAP, Atlanta, Ga.; Jessica Serrano, MD, MPH, FAAP, Portland, Ore.; Whitney Casares, MD, MPH, FAAP, Portland, Ore.
In addition to the long-form videos, Body of Knowledge includes a series of 60-second short videos on YouTube’s Shorts platform. Created to reach teens directly, these videos cover topics that matter to girls and teens and that often go unaddressed by parents or seen as taboo.
A second video series on childhood and adolescent immunizations will launch this fall. The series will address some of the most common questions parents ask about their child’s immunizations. The videos combine the credibility of the AAP, the science of vaccines, and the warmth and empathy of pediatricians to help parents feel empowered with the information they need to make decisions about their child’s immunizations.
To view the videos, go to this playlist.
About the AAP
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds.
###
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.