PROMOTION OF TEENAGE
HEALTH
Health Education
Health providers role doesn’t end up with just health
education. They must coordinate with other agencies to educate the adolescents
on several related matters such as nutrition, sexuality and substance abuse etc.
All efforts must be made to reach out to the adolescents, both school-goers and
nonschool-goers. For the objective, “adolescent-friendly health services”
(AFHS) are needed. Use of mass media and school curriculum may also be made.
Special stress should be matters related to:
- Development of secondary sex characters
- Menarche, menstrual hygiene and associated problems in girls
- Nutritional needs, including iron
- Body image
- Managing emotions and stress
- Reproductive process, conception, childbirth
- Safe sex and contraception
- Right age for marriage
- HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and other STDs
- Substance abuse, alcohol and tobacco
Improved knowledge about health matters and negative
consequences of risk-taking behavior should be considered as an important step
though not a fool proof, strategy for safe behavior among adolescents.
Life Skills Education (LSE)/ Skills-based
Education (SBE)
Life skills are “abilities” for adaptive and positive
behavior so that the individual can deal effectively with demands and
challenges of day-today life.
Skill-based education(SBE), given during face-to-face
counseling, proves more effective in convincing the adolescent not to indulge
in risk-taking activity such as violence, molestation and unprotected sex.
Family Life Education
This WHO strategy is based on the observation is that when
adolescents are assisted to develop responsible attitudes towards relationship
in the family settings, their emotional, psychological, social and sexual needs
get satisfied. Its crux is “awareness through education”. Its various
components include adolescent nutrition, personality development, understanding
human sexuality and preparation for future parenthood.
Counseling for
Managing stress and emotions
Stress is inability to cope with the demands. It causes
“general adaptation syndrome”. It involves both nervous systems (predominantly
“autonomic”) which reacts immediately and endocrine(hormone) system which takes
time to react but the reaction persists much longer. In fact, it affects almost
all systems, including immune system, to certain extent.
Three types of stress are: Physical (overcrowding in class, bus;
noise and environmental pollution), psychological (intense academic demands)
and psychosocial (conflicts with peers, teachers, family members).
The result of all these types is either eustress or
distress. Estress promotes productivity and facilitates efforts. Distress
causes loss of productivity and health problems.
Adolescents need to be caught the art of stress management.
Nutritional Care and
Counseling
A multisectoral approach should ensure sufficient food
supply and its equitable distribution, and improved knowledge and information
about nutrition, with special reference to healthy eating and healthy lifestyle
and increased needs during adolescence without any discrimination to the girl
child. Nutritional promotion should operate at school, family (household) and
community levels.
Early Diagnosis and
Management of Medical and Behavioral Conditions
It is important to detect medical problems and behavioral
problems (particularly unhealthy eating habits, substance abuse, sex related
problems, and violence and aggression) early enough. Appropriate management in
condusive environment and with assistance from pediatrician and, if the need
be, from a psychologist/psychiatrist should in no case be delayed.
Legislation
Experience in Europe has demonstrated that legislation and
regulatory policies discourage risk taking behavior amongst adolescents.
Restriction on smoking in public places, legislation against child labor and
legal age of marriage continue to be flouted mercilessly.
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