The Health of Young People

1
The Health of Young People
2
Workshop aims

• To determine what is good health for young people
• To review the developmental aspects that impact
  on the health of young people
• To explain how social factors impact on the
  health of young people.
• To determine how best to respond to HSC questions
  regarding HOYP.

3
The Health of Young People

• What is good health for young people?
• Do Australias young people enjoy good health?
• What skills and actions enable young people to
  attain better health?

If so ?
Then what ?
4
What is good health for young people?
Students learn about Students learn to
developmental aspects that impact on the health of young people - revising roles within relationships - clarifying self-identity - developing self-sufficiency and autonomy - establishing a sense of self-worth - establishing education, training and employment pathways - establishing personal support structures - determining behavioural boundaries identify the relationship between successfully managing these developmental aspects and establishing good health think critically about how young peoples priorities and values relate to their health by considering questions such as - is health a priority for young people? - what would young people view as the indicators of good health?
5
Developmental aspects that impact on the health
of young people

• Revising roles within relationships refers to
  the changing nature of the relationships young
  people have with their family, friends
  community. Linked to the transition to adulthood
  young people seek independence to establish
  power balance in their relationships with their
  family
• Clarifying self identity is evident in how you
  describe yourself to others it changes over time
  is therefore dynamic eg a young persons sexual
  orientation may change over time (8-9 of young
  people will have greater sexual desire for the
  same sex La Trobe University)

6
Developmental aspects that impact on the health
of young people

• Developing self sufficiency autonomy self
  sufficiency is the ability to provide for oneself
  without help from others achieving autonomy
  enhances self confidence, identity is a right
  of passage
• Establishing a sense of self worth is important
  for good mental health family peers have an
  important part to play. Confidence in meeting
  challenges comes with the security of personal
  support structures

7
Developmental aspects that impact on the health
of young people

• Establishing education, training employment
  pathways education training are important in
  establishing positive self concept esteem.
  Enhances health wellbeing. Changing nature of
  workforce means that students may be working in
  careers that may not exist at this point Gen Y
  Gen Z have different expectations than previous
  generations.
• Establishing personal support structures give
  assistance in times of stress or trauma. Eg the
  family assist with financial, emotion, physical
  mental support. When personal structures fail
  young people turn to the community government
  for assistance support eg Youth Off the Streets

8
Developmental aspects that impact on the health
of young people

• Determining social boundaries adolescence is a
  time for testing establishing boundaries of
  behaviour (eg drinking, driving, sexual activity,
  etc) often leading to long term consequences such
  as injury, disability, dysfunction or stress
  related disorders. Clear unambiguous boundaries
  protect young people from harm in rural areas
  where youth crime is relatively high curfews are
  applied as penalties to restrict the movements of
  young people at night there are few other
  consequences that can be applied.

9
What is good health for young people?
Students learn about Students learn to
social factors that impact on the health of young people - socioeconomic status - employment - education - gender - ethnicity - Aboriginality - geographical location - sexual orientation. - peer influence understand the diverse nature of young people as a group propose explanations of how each social factor may impact on the health of young people.
10
Social factors that impact on the health of young
people

• Socioeconomic status
• The health and wellbeing status of young people
  varied significantly according to socioeconomic
  status. Young people from the most disadvantaged
  areas were less likely to rate their health as
  excellent or very good, were more likely to lack
  social support and be victims of assault, had
  lower Year 12 completion rates and had death
  rates almost twice as high as the least
  disadvantaged areas
• Of young people living in families, most (80)
  were living in couple-parent families in 2003.
• Young people in couple-parent families were more
  likely than young people from lone-parent
  families to have an employed parent or one that
  had completed secondary school.
• The vast majority (90) of young people were
  living in households that were not considered to
  be overcrowded in 2001.
• One in three (34) clients of agencies funded
  through the Supported Accommodation and
  Assistance Program (SAAP) (agencies providing
  assistance to homeless people) were aged 1224
  years in 200405. For males, accommodation
  problems were the main reason for seeking
  assistance, and interpersonal relationships was
  the main reason for females.
• Employment
• The unemployment rates for 1519 and 2024 year
  olds were 12.5 and 6.3 respectively in July
  2006, compared with a national unemployment rate
  of 4.4.
• Source Young Australians their health and
  wellbeing 2007

11
Social factors that impact on the health of young
people

• Education
• Most Year 7 students met the national benchmarks
  for reading, writing and numeracy (91, 94 and
  82) in 2004.
• The apparent retention rate to Year 12 has
  increased substantially from 49 in 1986 to 75
  in 2006 and the proportion of those aged 1524
  years with post-school qualifications rose from
  23 to 26 between 1996 and 2006.
• The majority of young people (85 of those aged
  1519 years and 76 of those aged 2024 years)
  were participating full time in education and/or
  work in 2006.
• Gender
• Life expectancy at birth has improved over the
  last 20 years a gain of 5.6 years for males and
  4 years for females. A boy born in 20022004
  would be expected to live to 78.1 years, on
  average, while a girl would be expected to live
  to 83.0 years, on average.
• Between 199397 and 19982002, the rate of
  melanoma incidence decreased by 23 (from 7.6 to
  5.9 per 100,000 young people) for males and by
  14 (from 9.1 to 7.8 per 100,000 young people)
  for females.
• Injury (including poisoning) continues to be the
  leading cause of death for young people,
  accounting for two-thirds of all deaths of young
  people in 2004. Transport accidents accounted for
  45 and intentional self-harm (suicide) accounted
  for 27 of all injury deaths. Injury was also the
  leading cause of hospital separation for males
  and the fourth highest for females in 200405.
  Transport accidents (largely motor vehicle
  accidents) were the most common external cause of
  injury for males and intentional self-harm was
  the most common cause for females.
• Source Young Australians their health and
  wellbeing 2007

12
Social factors that impact on the health of young
people

• Ethnicity
• Research shows the longer a migrant stays in
  Australia the more likely they are to adopt
  unhealthy lifestyles
• Cultural beliefs can impact on opportunities for
  physical activity, views about body image
• Stress of migration and subsequent
  marginalisation on arrival can impact on the
  mental health of young people a lack of
  culturally appropriate services may exacerbate
  this
• Cultural conflict (ideas and values) cause
  considerable stress.
• Aboriginality
• Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
  people had higher rates of death, injury and some
  chronic diseases compared with other young
  Australians. During 20022004, the death rate for
  Indigenous young people was almost 4 times the
  rate for other young Australians, and the injury
  death rate was almost 5 times that of other young
  people. Indigenous young people had higher
  hospital separation rates for injury (1.7 times
  the rate for other young Australians), asthma
  (1.3 times) and diabetes (more than 3 times).
  Young Indigenous Australians were also more
  likely than other young Australians to experience
  health risk factors such as obesity, physical
  inactivity, smoking, imprisonment, and lower
  educational attainment.
• Source Young Australians their health and
  wellbeing 2007

13
Social factors that impact on the health of young
people

• Geographic location
• A small proportion (2.3) of young people lived
  in Remote and Very Remote areas in 2005, however,
  these young people had substantially higher rates
  of death and hospital separation for specific
  health conditions and were more likely to engage
  in certain risky health behaviours than young
  people in Major Cities. For example, injury
  separation rates were 2.7 times as high as in
  Major Cities and death rates were 5 times as
  high. Consumption of recommended levels of fruit
  and vegetables declined with increasing
  remoteness, while the proportions of risky and
  high-risk drinking for short-term harm increased.
• Source Young Australians their health and
  wellbeing 2007

14
Social factors that impact on the health of young
people

• Sexual orientation
• According to La Trobe University study, 8-9 of
  young people report to feel same sex attraction.
• This may in part be sexual experimentation
  establishment of self identity
• Homophobic attitudes may lead young people to
  hide their feelings lead to self loathing
  denial.
• Evident in rural communities where stereotypes of
  homosexual people and construction of
  masculinity/femininity are definite.
• High rates of self harm, substance abuse
  suicide among gay teenagers in these communities.
  
• Peer influence
• Both positive negative
• Provision of peer network can promote security
  and good health practices
• Negative influences result in pressure to drink,
  engage in sexual contact, passing inaccurate
  health information social isolation and
  alienation (bullying) increases the risk of
  depression and suicidal behaviour.

15
The Question HSC 2007

• Question 23 (c)
• Analyse a health promotion program designed to
  enhance the health of young people. Refer to ONE
  area of concern you have studied
• To analyse this health promotion what must you
  do?

16
What makes you a HYOP student?

• What are your areas of study
• stress and coping
• risk taking and road injuries
• substance abuse
• sexuality
• violence
• body image.

17
Whats missing

• What skills and actions enable young people to
  attain better health?
• building positive self-concepts
• developing a sense of connectedness
• promoting an acceptance and valuing of cultural
  diversity
• developing health literacy and accessing skills
• coping skills
• social problem-solving skills
• supportive networks
• creating a sense of future
• Social action

18
Better responses

• demonstrated understanding of HYOP
• applied the skills of critical thinking
  analysis
• illustrated the answer with relevant examples
• presented ideas in a clear logical way
• showed knowledge of the HYOP syllabus through
  using specific terminology