Health Education in Adolescents

Health Education in Adolescents

I would encourage patients to restrict fast food, sweets, and processed snack items for their school-age children. I would teach them also to pick low-fat products, such as low-fat milk rather than whole milk, for their children to avoid occurrences of overweight and obesity. Also, I would advise parents to have low-fat snacks accessible and minimize sugary beverages like soda, sweetened iced tea, fruit juice, and flavored milk for their children (Lanigan, 2018). I would teach them to urge their children to drink enough water to maintain their urine light yellow and learn to read food labels that would help them understand how much food is included in 1 serving and learn what a healthy serving size is. I would teach them to involve their children in fitness activities regularly.

Question 1.

Eating disorders may be life-threatening; consequently, it is necessary to check their nutritional health. Maintaining a balanced diet and electrolyte balance is also crucial. The nurse must maintain track of the patient’s weight often if an eating problem has been identified (Hornberger et al., 2021). I may do this by increasing monitoring of teenagers during and after meals to avoid vomiting after eating. I would also establish time limitations for each meal that would assist set realistic expectations and foster a pleasant environment at mealtime as it would help minimize tension and worry. I would also educate their family on the adolescent’s eating issue. I will teach them to urge themselves to join in aiding teenagers with eating issues. I would teach the parent to be role models for their children and educate teens on the hazards of an eating problem. I would advise their parents to silence the TV at lunch.

Question 2.

It’s no secret that adolescence is a time of rapid personal growth and development. A person’s timing and speed can vary from person to person and even within a single individual, even if the order in which many of the changes occur appears to be universal. There are both internal and external factors that influence these changes. A number of biological changes occur during adolescence. Physical changes such as height gain, muscle mass gain, fat distribution change, and the development of secondary sexual characteristics are the most obvious (Andrews, Foulkes & Blakemore, 2020). In addition to the hormones that affect gonadal maturation and the production of gonadal sex steroids, a wide range of endocrine changes (gonadarche and adrenarche) underlie these physical changes. Several hormones are synthesized in a complex manner during the early and mid-adolescent growth spurt. When it comes to men, it takes longer and lasts longer. The oxytocin and vasopressin hormones, for example, can alter how teenagers connect with others.

Question 3.

As a public health issue, youth violence affects the entire world. Everything from bullying to physical fights to murderous assaults on the body and sexuality are included in this broad category. Being male, hyperactive, and having a low IQ are factors that cannot be changed, but factors that can be changed include exposure to violent television, antisocial attitudes, substance abuse, and poverty and gang membership. Adolescents are protected and educated by health professionals who teach and model strong social and emotional skills, promote positive peer relationships, as well as encourage them to look for meaning in their lives. In order to make sure their development is on track, adolescents should be examined annually. In this case, clinicians should focus on the adolescent and allow them to speak privately with a healthcare provider. Pupil hood, body image, diet, and drug use are just some of the common health concerns that adolescents have in common mental health, and sexual health (Ballesteros et al., 2018). To assist the adolescent at this time, support their interests, promote open communication, and respect their space.

References

Andrews, J. L., Foulkes, L., & Blakemore, S. J. (2020). Peer influence in adolescence: Public-health implications for COVID-19. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(8), 585-587.

Ballesteros, M. F., Williams, D. D., Mack, K. A., Simon, T. R., & Sleet, D. A. (2018). The epidemiology of unintentional and violence-related injury morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents in the United States. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(4), 616.

Hornberger, L. L., Lane, M. A., Lane, M., Breuner, C. C., Alderman, E. M., Grubb, L. K., … & Baumberger, J. (2021). Identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 147(1).

Lanigan, J. (2018). Prevention of overweight and obesity in early life. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 77(3), 247-256.