Chapter 8

Abstract: Chapter 8 discusses the mortality rates and the causes for deaths of adolescents and adults. Some highlights of this chapter were: The leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults were: unintentional injuries (45%) homicide (16%) and suicide (12%).  It also talked about how there are 19 million new cases of STDs annually. Over half of all new cases came from this age group.  For the adult population the six leading are: unintentional injuries, cancer, heart disease, suicide, homicide, and HIV. The leading cancer for both men and women is lung cancer. Both sections end with ways to improve the health of each age group.

Summary: This chapter starts off with explaining the causes of deaths for adolescents and young adults aging from 15-24.  It explains that the three-fourths of all mortality can be attributes to three causes- unintentional injuries (mainly motor vehicle crashes), homicide and suicide.  It also talks about how some communicable diseases are specifically targeted at this age group.  The biggest ones are STD’s.  The reason for this is because this age group is more apt to have more than one sexual partner and to have unprotected sex.  The STD’s that are very prevalent are: HPV, HIV and AIDS. Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are also high on the list, but these are the most curable.  The chapter proceeds to talk about the behaviors of adolescents and young adults and how they have changed throughout the years.  It talks about tobacco use, drug and alcohol use and it even talk about unintended pregnancy and STD’s.  This part of the chapter concludes with strategies of helping all of these problems. It explains the four major principles which are:

1.     1.  Legal principle: you must be 21 to consume alcohol.

2.    2.   Abstinence principle: if you do not drink, don’t start; it is okay to abstain.

3.   3.    Social norming principle: not as many of your peers drink as you think.

4.   4.   Harm reduction principle: if you do end up drink, drink responsibly.

                This chapter ends with talking about the adult part of the population. It states “with life expectancy at birth between 75 and 80 years, most Americans can expect to live beyond their 65^th birthday”. The leading causes in this age group are: unintentional injuries, cancer, heart disease, suicide, homicide, and HIV. The leading cancer for both men and women is lung cancer and 87% is due to smoking. It also states that the best behavioral change that can be made is to stop smoking. 30% of the deaths in the United States are because of smoking.  This section also ends with strategies for improving health. It says that people need to engage in good behaviors that are health enhancing and for communities to continue to offer primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.

Chapter 7

Maternal, infant, and child health ranges from women of childbearing age from pre-pregnancy, through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and the postpartum period of the child prior to and after birth, throughout adolescence. Maternal, infant, and child health are important indicators of a community’s health status. They are important indicators of the effectiveness of disease prevention and health promotion.

            This chapter discusses the issue of teenage births, which causes financial and social burdens on families and communities as a whole. Not to mention that teenage pregnancy can result in serious health consequences for both the mother and child. This is why one of the most important aspects of child bearing is family planning. Unplanned pregnancy can have an adverse effect on the health and lives of families and communities. Planned pregnancy also lowers the chances of an abortion being performed. Family planning agencies, such as Planned Parenthood, offer a range of services such as nutrition counseling, immunizations, prenatal care and physical examinations.

            There are many aspects that may have an effect on the health of an infant. Since infants are under total control of their parents, the lifestyles of parents will impact the health of the infant. Risky behaviors such as alcohol or tobacco use could have an adverse effect on the health of an infant. The leading cause of death in children is unintentional injury. Every year about one-fourth of all children sustain an injury severe enough to require medical attention, and injuries are the leading cause of disability in children. 

Chapter 6 Blog

           Chapter 6 primarily focused on the coordinated school health program and its impact on the health of children, their families, and the community.  The aforementioned impact is great because the school is the one institution through which all members of society must pass.  I think this fact is lost on most administrators when they make cuts on school budgets; beyond anything else, attending school is the one single thing that all Americans have in common and students need to be the best chance they can.  In this respect, the full potential of school health has not been reached due to lack of support and interest.  If implemented properly, however, coordinated school health programs can improve access to health services, educate students about pressing health issues, and provide a safe and healthy learning environment.

            The main foundations of the school health program include: (1) a school administration that supports such an effort, (2) a well-organized school health council that is genuinely interested in providing a coordinated program for the students, and (3) written school health policies.  These school health policies are critical for ensuring accountability, credibility, and the institutionalization of programs and efforts to make schools a healthy learning environment.  In a related aspect, it is important to focus on the eight components of a coordinated school health program.  They are: (1) school health services, (2) a healthy school environment, (3) school health education, (4) counseling, psychological, and social services, (5) physical education, (6) school nutrition services, (7) family/community involvement for school health, and (8) school-site health promotion for staff.

            On a broader level, the eight National Health Education Standards emphasize a skills-based curriculum focusing on the following: (1) core concepts; (2) analyzing influences; (3) accessing valid health information, products and services; (4) demonstrating interpersonal communication skills; (5) utilizing decision-making skills; (6) utilizing goal-setting skills; (7) practicing health-enhancing behaviors; and (8) advocating for personal, family, and community health.  These are important because they focus on a broader and less direct form of community health.

            There are a number of registries of effective health education programs that are maintained in order to assist health educators in locating and assessing available curricula to aid with education and informational purposes.  In addition, there are a number of issues that face school health advocates, including a lack of support for coordinated school health, dealing with controversy in the health curriculum, the implementation of school-based health centers, and violence in schools.