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Driving Question- What actions are required to improve the health of young people?
Driving Question- What actions are required to improve the health of young people?
Linking question- How can we make protective behaviours more attractive to young people and deter them from negative risk behaviours?
Adolescence is an important stage of development not just physically but also socially and emotionally. It is a period when young people begin to form their values and attitudes and is a critical time for the development of health behaviours. Health behaviours are modifiable actions taken by a young person that have the potential to enhance or compromise their health. Studies have shown that the health patterns young people develop in their adolescent years will often continue into adulthood. These health behaviours are an important determinant of both current and future health status. As our health-related behaviours affect our short and long-term health, adolescence is the perfect time to establish and reinforce positive health and social behaviours.
Protective behaviours
Protective behaviours
Protective behaviours are those actions a young person engages in that support good health, for example regular physical activity, not smoking, being actively involved in leisure and community activities, having a range of friends and having people to talk to when feeling anxious or sad. Protective behaviours also include skills such as effective communication, decision making and conflict resolution. Most protective behaviours need to be learned, developed and practised and, often, may not be the most popular or easiest choice, particularly when a young person is interacting with their peer group.
Risk Behaviours
Risk Behaviours
Risk behaviours are those that a young person engages in that may be detrimental to their health, for example speeding, having unsafe sex, excessive dieting, substance use, deliberate self-harm or binge drinking. Everything we do has a degree of risk associated with it, however, for young people, engaging in high risk behaviours may seem part of growing up and establishing their sense of identity. They may be prompted by a need to connect with other people, to push boundaries, to influence others or to fit in with their peers.
Risk and Protective Behaviours for Road Safety
Risk and Protective Behaviours for Road Safety
Benchmark 1
Benchmark 1
For your chosen area of concern, create a table like the one above and outline the protective and risk behaviours and suggest reasons why young people may not adopt these behaviours.
For your chosen area of concern, create a table like the one above and outline the protective and risk behaviours and suggest reasons why young people may not adopt these behaviours.
In your task you will be asked to create a variety of strategies that empower young people to adopt protective behaviours. To try to create the most effective strategies you need to consider how young people, think, feel and act.
Discuss as a class or in small groups, how to address these issues of why young people don't adopt protective behaviours. Your ideas should help to answer the Driving Question
"How can we make protective behaviours more attractive to young people and deter them from negative risk behaviours?"
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