Promoting Adolescent Safety

Accidents are leading

cause of death :
• motor vehicle
accidents, sports
injuries, athletic
injuries, firearms
accidents, drowning.
Promoting Adolescent Safety

• Drowning is another chief accident of adolescence,

even though it is largely preventable.

• Teaching water safety, is as important as teaching

the mechanics of swimming.
Promoting Adolescent Safety
 Other common causes of death in adolescents are
homicide and suicide, related to the easy accessibility
of guns to teenagers.

 Athletic injuries tend to increase in number during

adolescence because of the vigorous level of
competition that occur.
Promoting Adolescent Safety

• Drugs and alcohol use may be a serious problem

during this period
• Adolescent characteristics of poor impulse control and
recklessness make prevention complex

• Activities: group activities predominate, sports

important, activities involving opposite sex by middle
adolescence
• Measures to Prevent Accidents in Adolescents
Accident Health Teaching Measure
Motor vehicle use a seat belt whether as a driver or passenger
Do not drink alcohol while driving
Wear helmet and long trousers as driver or passenger
Take a driver education course to learn safe driving habits for
both two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles

Firearms Always consider all guns loaded and potentially lethal

Learn safe gun handling before attempting to clean a gun or
hunt

Drowning Learn how to swim

Follow safe water rules
Taking dares has no place in water safety
Sports Use protective equipment such as face masks for hockey, pads
for football
Do not attempt participation beyond physical limits
Careful preparation for sports through training is essential to
safety
 Nutrition

• Nutritional requirements peak during years of

maximum growth: age 10-12 in girls, 2 years later in
boys, appetite increases
• Inadequate diet can retard growth and delay sexual
maturation
• Food intake needs to balanced with energy
expenditure
Nutrition
 Increased needs include calcium for
skeletal growth; iron for increased
muscle mass and blood cell
development ; zinc for development of
skeletal and muscle tissue and sexual
maturation
Recommend Dietary Reference
Intakes
 An adolescent needs an increased number of calories
to support the rapid body growth that occurs.

 The nutrients that are most apt to be deficient in both

male and female adolescent diets are iron, calcium and
zinc.
Promoting Development of an
Adolescent in Daily Activities
Dress and Hygiene
 Adolescents are capable of total self-care, may even be
overly conscientious about personal hygiene and
appearance.
 In providing care for hospitalized adolescents, give
time for self care. Such as shampooing hair.
 Clothing is important for adolescent
Care of Teeth
 Adolescents are generally very conscientious about
tooth brushing because of a fear of developing bad
breath.

 They tend to snack a great deal, so their teeth are

always exposed to bacterial erosion.
Sleep
 Because adolescents are building so many new cells,
adolescents may need proportionately more sleep than
school age.

 Frequent lack of sleep can lead to chronic fatigue or

depression.
Exercise
 Adolescents need exercise every day both to maintain
muscle tone and to provide an outlet for tension.

 Adolescents who are involved in structured athletic

activities do receive daily exercises.
 NURSING ROLE
IN HEALTH PROMOTION
PROMOTING HEALTHY FAMILY
FUNCTION

 Early adolescents may have many disagreements

with parents that stem partly from wanting more
independence and partly from being so
disappointed in their bodies.
PROMOTING HEALTHY FAMILY
FUNCTION

 When a child reaches about age 15, parent-child

friction tends to peak.
 A favorite coach may be discovered to be imperfect.
 School marks may slump as a reflection of this “ fallen
angel” syndrome.
PROMOTING HEALTHY FAMILY
FUNCTION
 By the time they are 16 years old, adolescents generally
become more willing to listen and to talk about
problems..

 As a result, they may learn that adults are not as

inadequate as they previously thought.
PROMOTING HEALTHY FAMILY
FUNCTION

 Seventeen-year old adolescents who have stayed in

school are usually high school seniors.
 Going away for college or beginning a full time job
seems exciting, it can also be an unwelcome change
from the people and routines.
PROMOTING HEALTHY FAMILY
FUNCTION

 To prove they are old enough to leave high school

and to enter into a more mature college or work
world, adolescents this age may begin to
experiment with drugs or alcohol, interpreting
their use as the mark of being an adult.
 Common Health Problems of an
Adolescent

• Hypertension
• Poor posture
• Body piercing and Tattoos
• Fatigue
• Menstrual irregularities for Girls
• Acne
• Obesity
Fears:

• Threats to body image: acne, obesity

• Injury or death
• The unknown
Concerns Regarding Sexuality and
Sexual Activity
 Because of increasing exposure to and acceptance of
premarital sexual relations in society, more
adolescents than ever before engage in sexual
intercourse.

 Because of this, as part of routine health assessment of

adolescents and preadolescents, you should ask if they
are sexually active.
Concerns Regarding Sexuality and
Sexual Activity
 Adolescence is also the time when teenagers deal with
the realization they are gay or lesbian.

 Offer support to adolescents who are having difficulty

telling their parents about their perceived sexual
orientation.

 Be certain to provide information on date rape and

rape prevention as well as discussing sexual behaviors.
Stalking
 Refers to repetitive,
intrusive and unwanted
actions directed at an
individual to gain the
individual’s attention or
evoke fear.

 The usual stalker is a male

who stalks a female who
has rejected him.
Stalking
 Stalking behavior
can occur in
adolescence, either
males or females
can become stalkers
or victims.
Hazing
 Refers to the rituals that prospective members have to
undergo to join sororities, fraternities or adolescent
gangs.
 Most rituals are secret and in the past were accepted as
“ rites of passage.”

 Parents need to be aware of what clubs or

organizations their adolescent is attempting to join .
Concerns Regarding Substance
Abuse
Substance Abuse refers to the use of chemicals to
improve a mental state or induce euphoria.
This is so common among adolescents that as many as
50% of high school seniors report having experimented
with some form of drug.

Occurs as a desire to expand consciousness or to feel

more confident and mature. It can also be a response to
peer pressure or a form of adolescent rebellion.
Types of Abused Substances
 Drugs that adolescents abuse are those they can obtain
on limited budgets and through limited contacts.

 They may begin drug experimentation by taking

sedatives or pain medication prescribed for another
family member or a pet.
Types of Abused Substances
1. Tobacco
2. Alcohol
3. Anabolic Steroid Abuse
4. Marijuana
5. Amphetamines
6. Cocaine
7. Hallucinogens
8. Opiates
 SUICIDE

 Is deliberate self injury with the intent to end

one’s life.

 Successful suicide occurs more frequently in

males than in females, although more females
apparently attempt suicide than males.
SUICIDE

Attempted most often in spring or fall, reflecting

school stress at these times of year, between 3pm
and midnight, reflecting depression that increases
with the dark

Suicide in adolescents that it ranks 3rd as a cause of

death in the 15-19 years old group.
 Assessment:
Thorough physical examination to make sure they are in
good health.
 Assess for signs of depression such as anorexia,
insomnia, excessive fatigue, or weight loss

For younger adolescents: depression may be manifested

by behavior problems such as disobedience, temper
tantrums, truancy and running away from home.
Self destructive behavior or accident proneness may be
noted
Difficulties in school, acting out with chemicals, alcohol
or sexual promiscuity or trouble with legal authorities.
 The following are commonly seen clues:
1. Giving away prized possessions
2. Organ donation questions, such as “ How
do you leave your body to a medical
school?”
3. Sudden, unexplained elevation of mood
4. Accident proneness, carelessness and
death wishes
5. A statement such as, “ This is the last time
you will see me.”
The following are commonly seen clues:

6. Decrease in verbal communication

7. Withdrawal from peer activities or previously enjoyed
events
8. Previous attempt (80% of all completed suicides have
been preceded by a failed attempt)
9. Preference for art, music, and literature with themes
of death
10. Running away from home
Concerns Regarding Runaways
 A runaway is commonly defined as an adolescent
between the ages of 10 and 17 years who has been
absent from home at least overnight without
permission of a parent or guardian.

 Runaway adolescents are most likely to be from low or

high income families.
 Unemployment, alcoholism, sexual abuse, attempted
suicide and poverty are frequent characteristics.
Concerns Regarding Runaways
 When caring for adolescents with these concerns, the
following can be done:

 Be certain to secure a thorough history .

 Be sure to be nonjudgmental in questioning
 Ask if the adolescent wants to return home
 Parents list definite changes they have made in family
life to better accommodate an adolescent, such as
providing increased privacy or using “ contracting”
with adolescent.
Nursing process:

• Altered family process

• Altered health maintenance
• Disturbance in self-esteem
• Disturbed body image
• High risk for violence
• Social isolation
• Ineffective family coping