Andhra Pradesh Rolls Out Digital Health Portal to Boost Adolescent Awareness

The platform enables self-learning on topics such as personal hygiene, mental health, physical development, gender equality, HIV awareness, substance abuse prevention, road safety, nutrition, healthy relationships, and safe internet use.

The Andhra Pradesh government has launched a dedicated digital health portal for adolescents aged 13-19 under the School Health and Wellness Programme (APS HWP), aimed at strengthening preventive health awareness through structured digital learning.

The initiative has been introduced as part of a broader push to integrate health education within school systems, aligning with national efforts under Ayushman Bharat and the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram to address adolescent health challenges.

The programme has been designed to provide accessible, reliable, and engaging health information through a digital learning management system. It features short, interactive video modules in Telugu and English, each under 15 minutes, along with quizzes, assessments, and certification for students achieving high scores.

Minister for Health and Medical Education Satyakumar Yadav said the portal is aligned with the vision of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to strengthen preventive health education among young people. He said the platform enables self-learning on topics such as personal hygiene, mental health, physical development, gender equality, HIV awareness, substance abuse prevention, road safety, nutrition, healthy relationships, and safe internet use.

“The content is presented through short videos of less than 15 minutes in Telugu and English, along with game-based learning, quizzes, and online tests, with certificates issued to students scoring 80% or above,” he explained.

The portal has been developed through collaboration between multiple agencies, including the National Health Mission, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, the state AIDS Control Society, the Department of Education, the Department of Women and Child Welfare, UNICEF, and AIIMS Mangalagiri. It also integrates information on child and mental health helplines to support students beyond the learning modules.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Veerapandian said the platform aims to counter misinformation by offering scientifically validated content to adolescents, particularly in an era of widespread but unreliable online information sources.

To support implementation, teachers and lecturers from government high schools and junior colleges are being trained across districts, with around 150 educators per district participating in capacity-building programmes to guide students in using the portal effectively.

Since its launch, the platform has seen over 36,000 student registrations, with girls accounting for nearly 75% of users. The government expects the initiative to expand further as awareness grows and more schools integrate the platform into their health education activities.

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