1.Identify and discuss two issues that affect young peoples life chances - Essay Example

Order 293019 Identify and discuss two issues that affect young people’s life chances The wise saying goes,‘Heath is wealth.’ Through the journey of man from the age of horse-driven carts to the age of steam engines and finally to the modern internet civilization, one thing has constantly bothered him—how to maintain heath amidst the pressure of day to day activities! Everyone knows the health of the physical body is closely related to the health of the mind. An individual with the disturbed state of mind can not enjoy perfect health. Therefore, health is an important issue for the administration as well, and to provide perfect heath standards for its people is its prime duty. The process has to start from children and young people. This is an important social responsibility of the government and other non-governmental organizations. What is it to be a teenager today? In this modern competitive world, one faces many physical and mental health related problems. One wishes to be a free-thinking individual, and demands to act as he wishes, and chooses to follow his own decisions to shape the career. He does not like the parental restrictiveness much. But he ignores some basic facts related to his health and by the time the correct realization dawns on him, sometimes it is too late. He thinks that physical health and the mental health are separate issues. He does not know about the impact of one on the other. Health visitors, who work with the young people, have noticed some other serious problems faced by the younger generation in the present times. They have noticed, “young people pose problems of moral and social order which invite a controlling response (the heavy hand of the police or social workers); their child-like vulnerability may provoke a protective stance, in which young people are seen to be in need of defending not only from the harms of the adult society, but also from their own potential internal moral chaos.”(Brannen, 1994, p.4) In the changed circumstances today, there is a constant need for the parents and teenagers to define their responsibilities and move forward. As teenagers are the future leaders of the society in all spheres related to the development of the country, promotion of their health has become a major cultural goal of the governments all over the world. Health care policy has risen to one of the top of political agenda as well. “That the essence of being a young person is not being but in becoming.”(Brannen, p.1) Family relationships and teenage health and behavior can not be discussed in isolation. They are interrelated. Heath is an inclusive issue, not an exclusive. Everybody in the family, fathers, mothers and the society have a role and responsibility. The young people need to understand the correct definition of health and what are the risks involved in wrong living. The attractions related to the physical demands of the young people are many and each factor has the telling effect on the health. Food, sex, smoking, alcohol and drugs for example! The young people need to make the correct assessment of the adage, ‘Prevention is better than cure.’ Creating more health facilities and constructing hospitals are not the true indicators of a healthy society. This is, however, not to deny the importance of providing such facilities. But one has to go to the root cause of the diseases affecting the human body. It is mostly, wrong living! Health promotion of the young is the sum total of educational and environmental supports for actions and conducive to living that promotes health. “Some of the health behaviors in which some teenagers engage--for example, drinking, smoking-and drug taking—have been identified as health risks.”(Brannen, p.5). The policies and the programs of the Government need to aim at lifestyle changes of the young people. Every effort must be oriented towards the state of optimal health. It relates to attaining correct balance of physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual health. Imbalance in any one factor leads to problems with the overall health conditions of the young people. From the earliest stages of life, awareness about health promotion needs to be imbibed in the impressionable minds of the young people, so that it becomes the part of their living philosophy. The realization has now dawned on the top leadership in most of the countries, which have huge budgetary provisions for the department of health. The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama recently announced a core strategy in the health care reform area to redirect United States from a system dominated by treatment of disease to a more realistic approach that gave priority on enhancing health and quality of life. The younger generation will stand to gain from such realistic assessment of issues related to health. Once the root causes of the diseases are seriously addressed to, the burden on the curative aspects get reduced automatically. Any program of improvement of health practices/education for the young people needs to broadly address the following issues. Methods of imparting the health education, explaining the correct meaning and responsibilities related to adolescence, the role of parents(father, mother, other grown up members of the family like brother and sister), provide the correct definition of health, incorporating the latest developments in the science of health, affliction of diseases in the young and their causes, risks associated with the serious diseases and methods of their prevention, rules and regulations for disciplined living, household amenities and food, open discussion regarding the risks involved in excessive sex, smoking, alcohol and drugs, maintenance of relations between parents and young people on an equitable basis, etc. Every youngster must have access to periodical medical checkups, either through the public health department agencies, facilities at the school and college levels or by availing the services of the family doctors. Evaluation of the health status and maintaining a health file, where the various details of the individual are available at a glance are essential. These are some of the positive steps that relate to the young people’s life chances. Systematic rules are laid down and followed by certain health associations. For example, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has designed a classification system related to a patient’s health, which can as well serve useful purpose for the health of the young people. The patients in a normal state of health with no apparent diseases, a patient with mild disease, a patient with a serious disease limiting normal activity but not causing incapacitation, a patient with a life-threatening and/or incapacitating disease. The last category is a patient who is not expected to live beyond a day, irrespective of the medical attention. Then, there may be emergencies in all the categories stated above, which demand medical attention, depending upon the circumstances of the case. The scientific advancement in the investigation area goes to help increase the life chances of the young people. Many laboratory and functional tests are available to confirm the clinical impression on a patient and to come to a firm conclusion of the possible disease. Proper counseling by an experienced medical practitioner goes to improve the health behavior of the youngster and one’s beliefs about health. Awareness of issues related to health is of utmost importance in the life of young people. Which youngster knows in detail about the danger to health on account of exposure to environmental pollutants like asbestos or ionizing radiation, passive smoking or chemical abuse? These cause serious diseases and awareness about them and taking preventive measures are the best solutions. Young people are under stress everywhere. Old people are under stress, as to why their young people, sons and daughters, are under stress. Something is seriously wrong somewhere. “Suicides, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and eating disorders have all been linked to stress. Young people are experiencing more social and psychological problems than ever before. The trends indicate an increase in pressures faced by young people, together with a general decline in coping skills and absence of social support.”(Stress in….) All concerned with the progress, prosperity and welfare of the young people, policy makers, service providers and families are confused and have no tangible solutions. What make the young people to go for the ultimate step like suicide? The cause for the stress among the young people may be simple to start with. It can be an argument with the parents about poor performance or relationships at school. Finding it too difficult to cope up with the approaching examination! The small problems grow into big ones, unless tackled with a cool mind, well in time. As for the stress “research shows that people respond differently to the same level of stress. There are individual differences in patterns of psychological reactions to stress which involve heart rate, respiratory rate and galvanic skin response.”(Sara, 2001. p.6) Not long ago, the thinking was that childhood is a blissful time, and one is totally unaware about the stress tendencies. The fact is otherwise. The fast pace of the materialistic civilization, the children viewing the programs through the TV channels, the internet revolution and the addiction of the children to computer through which they have easy access to all sorts of information, which normally they are not supposed to get exposed to, have increased the stress tendencies amongst the children. They have become as vulnerable to stress as adults. Inexperience to face the trails and tribulations of life adds to the stress levels of the young people. They get overwhelmed about any issue easily and are not in a position to consider the situation in a dispassionate manner and they give in to suicides tendencies. Among the young people, suicides are common cause of death, after accidents, in men aged 15-24, it is reported. “Exams are a big worry for most young people. ChildLine, the free, 24-hour helpline for children, spoke to around 800 young people worried about exams between April 2000 and March 2001.Of these, 19 young people were so worried they had contemplated – and in some cases even attempted – suicide.” (Eaton…) Children see something bleak about the future, which in reality is not in existence. They feel that their entire life is shaped with the outcome of the impending examination. They dread failure, feel panic-stricken and overburdened. A counselor can help the children to see life with a positive attitude. Those who failed to qualify in the examinations have proved to be great businessmen later in life, whereas those who passed with good grades have retired as bank officers or middle-level executives in organizations. Success in school examinations has, as such, nothing to do with the overall success in life. So, “researchers seeking to understand and examine stress within a psychological approach try to include cognitive as well as objective measures of stress. They also combine a cross sectional approach (looking at differences between people) with a longitudinal approach. (Looking for a change overtime.)”(Sara, p.8) Young people need to cultivate the habit of unbending attitude, develop grit and determination. They must be taught to face the challenges of life. Every type of stress can be tackled at the appropriate level. Life is compared to a sea, sometimes turbulent and sometimes calm. Nobody has taken the sea-bath, hoping that a time will come when there will be no waves. The waves shall be there; what one needs is the skill to tackle the waves and learn to swim against its pressure and force. In some cases, the working parents add to the stress of the young people. If both of them are working, leave home early in the morning and return late in the evening, they hardly get time to assist the children in studies, talk to them and counsel on their problems. The children feel neglected and will develop a complex with boredom and aloofness. Small stresses should not be allowed to develop into big stresses. It may end up with behavioral and emotional problems with the young people. Their minds are tender and impressionable and can be swayed easily by negative thoughts. One of the most stressful events for a youngster is their parents breaking up. They find it extremely difficult to divide their emotional container into two parts and live in utter confusion. They feel frustrated, finding no solution to the problem. Long term stress is always affects the physical and mental health of young people. Some of the warning signs of stress amongst the young people are, irritability, loss of sleep, not taking the food in time, become introvert, feel physically tired, loss of concentration, headaches and stomachaches, easy problems turning out difficult, etc. One important issue to reduce stress and increase the life chances for the young people is to practice the art of mind control through meditation. The benefits of suitable physical exercises and meditation have been accepted by the medical practitioners, and positive results are seen on all counts. In the busy life, the young people have forgotten how powerful the mind is and how useful it can prove. If the young people work with the right frame of mind, it should be possible for them to lead a more creative and fulfilling life. Researchers have conceptualized stress within three main models: “The environmental model, the medical model, and the psychological model.”(Sara, p.4) Young people should reach out to the root causes to tackle stress. Understand and tame the mind. One’s mental thoughts and expressions give rise to actions. They are the creators of one’s life pattern. Joys and sorrows, stresses and peace depend upon the thoughts cherished. The mind is the propelling hand behind every action. It has also been researched that mind exercises a direct control over all biochemical reactions taking place in the body. One way or the other, one’s every thought, emotion and feeling influences the body. For instance, the feeling of fear in one leads to the gush of hormone adrenaline; the feeling of stress causes the release of hormone cortisol. Conclusion: Social support to the young people is bound to have an impact on stress-related symptoms by taming stressful life events and the occurrence of daily hassles; the individual will feel less vulnerable, when assured of the helping hand behind him; the impact, intensity and the duration of the symptoms is checked and eventually reduced; help in time and support goes a long way to do away with stress and strain, and to turn the episode to one of cheer. As the younger people develop the confidence to cope up with stress, their skills become strong and they will face the most difficult challenges with a brave heart. ============= Reference List: Brannen,Julia (Author), Kathryn Dodd (Author), Ann Oakley (Author), Pamela Storey (Author) (1994)Young People, Health and Family Life, Open University Press, ISBN-10: 0335190979 ISBN-13: 978-0335190973 Eaton, Lyon. Young Lives under Pressure www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/teenlife/has_people.html - 39k - Date accessed: 26/4/09 Sara, Macnamara.(2001)Stress in Young People: Whats New & What to Do, Continuum International Publishing Group ISBN: 0826449204 ISBN-13: 9780826449207 Stress in Young People, Sarah MacNamara, B.A., M.A., D.Phil., www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/8828186/used/Stress%20in%20Young%20People - 94k - Cached – Date accessed: 26/4/09 Read More