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Essay on preventing alcohol and drug abuse amongst youth
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Currently, in Australia more than seventy percent of teenagers (14-19 years age) have consumed alcohol at some point (McBride, Farringdon, Midford, Meuleners & Philip, 2004). For this reason many health programs have set their sights to try and prevent or at least minimise harm caused by these health problems such as alcohol and smoking. However, in order for these specific programs, interventions and health goals to be achieved many things need to be in place. One of the important steps looks at health programs being created through an evidence based approach. This looks at programs that focus on not just prevention but takes into account the theory being produced behind it, the evaluation of the program, the dosage given (timing and at what age) as well as well trained staff being used that is who present the program (Nation, Crusto, Wandersman, Kumpfer, Seybolt, Kane & Davino, 2003). Farringdon (2014) suggests that at the very least it should do no harm for those involved. The effectiveness of evidence based programs, what is required from them, looking at the effects of non-evidence based programs and understanding what harm minimization is will all be looked at an analysed in this essay. Health education has often been looked at as a means of providing ways to fix or improve the person’s behaviour only through strict prevention. Nutbeam (2000) explains that this in turn has led to minimum effort being put into promoting the behavior side of things and how to change it in order to reduce the risk of that certain health problem. Good health evidence based education allows it to be a tool in which it can be used in any public health involvement and environment (Nutbeam, 2000). Butterfoss, Goodmanl and Wandersman (1993) also s... ... middle of paper ... ... positives and overall reduce harm towards themselves and others in any health circumstance. Avoiding abstinence-only programs is a must as it ensures that minimum harm is done to those involved. Meanwhile, using the evidence based approach has shown positive outcomes in regards to it actually improving the outcomes through testing. As Farringdon (2014) stated, the reasoning behind the importance of evidence based practice lies in the overall factors that it comes with; knowing that it can actually positively change behaviour, knowing that it’s a tested resource that shows outcomes as opposed to non evidence based programs where you cannot predict the outcome or future prospect. In conclusion if evidence based programs were used earlier, then the future would seem a lot more certain for the younger generation coming through in regards to a safe healthier lifestyle.
Often in practice, we as nurses deal with a variety of diseases and treatments and often have to react to the illness that the patient presents with upon our interaction. While this is an essential piece of our practice, we also have a duty to our patients to be proactive in preventing specific health-related consequences based on their risk factors and to promote their health and well being. Health promotion as it relates to nursing is about us empowering our patients to increase their control over their lives and well beings and includes: focusing on their health not just illness, empowering our patients, recognizing that health involves many dimensions and is also effected by factors outside of their control (Whitehead et al. 2008)..
I support position A, which is public health interventions are primarily responsible for improvements of child and mother health. Because the most interventions is related to public health and not medical care interventions, for instance, hygiene, sewage, good nutrition, education, changing behaviors such as quit smoking and so on have contributed to reduce infant mortality and maternal as mentioned in the article 4. We can notice that public health interventions through three levels of care. Primary interventions are before pregnancy such as check health of women if she has chronic or infectious diseases and advise women to change unhealthy behaviors such as avoid alcohol and tobacco. Secondary interventions are during pregnancy such as providing
Glanz, K., Rimer, B.K., Lewis, F.M. (2002). Health behavior and health education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
The article "Alcohol Abuse is a Serious Problem for Teenagers," was written by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The article states, "Nearly four million young people suffer from alcohol dependence," and the average age at which children begin to drink is as early as 13. The article goes on to say that the number of children who experiment with alcohol has been rising steadily over the years. The article points out the unfortunate effects of drinking which range from an array of physical illnesses like liver problems and cancer. From the article we learn that because teenagers tend to indulge in binge drinking, they are at higher risk to suffer the consequences of alcohol consumption. According to the article these consequences include developmental problems like lack of growth, a reduced ability to learn, and to psychological problems like depression and suicidal tendencies. Alcohol abuse in turn leads to social problems which include dropping out of school, robbery, and "risky sexual behavior." We learn that alcohol serves as a "gateway-drug," leading to more addictive drugs like cocaine. The article substantiates this claim by citing a study conducted by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The article also touches on the problem of alcohol used by parents though the primary focus of this piece is about teenage drinking. The purpose of the article is to jolt readers into an awareness of the magnitude of the problem of teenage drinkiing. Most people know that teenagers like to experiment, try the new and forbidden, but the Center assumes that no one is fully aware of how serious this problem can be if it is not addressed.
Simons-Morton, B. G., Greene, W. H., & Gottlieb, N. H. (1995). Introduction to health education and health promotion. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
as a public health intervention to promote healthy lifestyles, it often is not realized there is
The law on drinking in the UK has always been very clear. “If you’re under 18, it is against the law: for someone to sell you alcohol, to buy or try to buy alcohol, for an adult to buy or try to buy alcohol for you and to drink alcohol in licensed premises.” Breaking these laws can have serious consequences such as fines and imprisonment, however like with most laws people break them, ignoring the consequences of their actions. The drinking law is a regular law which is broken. A lot of people forget that it is illegal and can have major impacts on your life. Teenage alcoholism in today’s society is an extremely serious problem that needs to be addressed more. Alcohol, as many forget, is a drug that has a powerful addiction and can cause extreme consequences that could lead to death. This therefore is a major topic of discussion in the present day and everyone has their own opinions on this regardless of the law. I have decided to write my Extended Project on underage drinking because I think that it is a really interesting topic and almost everyone can relate to it. Furthermore it is constantly in the news and people are always talking about it and therefore it is an extremely important debate. Moreover, I did part of my English Language coursework on trying to persuade teenagers to not drink. This will help me with my essay as they both like, hence why I can use some sources and ideas for both. In this essay I’m going to discuss whether underage drinking in the UK is going to happen in the future and that there is no stopping it or if it may stop in the future. For part of my project I will carry out research. I will carry out a range of research methods which will include reading books, news articles, internet pages and watchin...
As a result of harsh restrictions placed on alcohol by our government parents are not only discouraged to inform both negative and positive attributes of alcohol, but they are also looked down upon for creating a controlled environment allowing teens to experiment in moderation as a teaching method for responsible drinking habits. With an infl...
Within this essay Evidence based Practice will be identified and the significant effect it has on the nursing profession, barriers will also be explored in the implementation of Evidence Based Practice.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been described as “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decision about the care of individual patients” . Evidence-Based Practice is a thoughtful integration of the best available evidence, coupled with clinical expertise. It enables one to address healthcare questions with an evaluative and qualitative approach. It is about applying the best available research evidence in provision of health, behavior and education services to enhance outcomes. Evidence-Based practice is about performing the best possible practice in order to provide the best possible care .
Raine , R . 1998 . ‘ Evidence-based Policy: Rhetoric and Reality ’ , Journal of Health Service Research Policy , 3 , 4 , 251 – 3 .
Another way to help teens avert from using alcohol is to make sure that teens are educated in the dangers and consequences of t...
Bernard Choi, et al. “EVIDENCE BASED PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND PRACTICE: Can scientists and policy makers work together?” Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Vol. 59 Issue 8 (2005). 632.
Health education is often regarded as too inappropriate for children to be learning, but critics need to realize that these issues are being experienced at earlier ages than ever before. Children are being exposed to the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex, and other subjects that are typically considered to be adult topics. Health education makes students aware of these issues, the consequences that are associated with them, and the dangers that they face if they choose to take part in any of them. Health educators cannot stop students from using any of these products, but they can teach them to think twice and potentially save many lives.
As the current legal drinking age remains to be 21, adolescents today are increasingly drinking large amounts of alcohol behind the backs of others. Along with this being illegal, alcohol-related dangers within our youth like dependency, disease, and irresponsible behaviors are problems that many are finding ways to prevent by increasing awareness; some people have even suggested that raising the drinking age would be the ultimate solution. However, is the constant routine of warning adolescents and preventing them from drinking really working? Based on the vast number of anti-alcohol programs in schools and existing laws forbidding the use of underaged drinking, today, there are still increasing reports. Instead of repeatedly preventing our