Question

If you were a school nurse planning a prevention education program V for your rural middle school students on alcohol, other drugs, and sex, what would you need to consider before actually beginning your program? What is the most effective prevention program that could be used? What ethical considerations should be incorporated into program planning? What message do you think adolescents need to hear? What type of relationship do you hope to establish with the students?

Answer 1

In today's era, it is very important to consider in giving education to the school going and adolescent population about various different subject matters that will effect their lives. All these topics are very much influencing in the adolescents in today's generation. They are more attracted to these things rather than the better ones. And adolescent period is such a period which is neither the children phase nor an adult phase and an adolescent will neither want to take the advice from the parents nor will be able to make their own decisions and they will be very much influenced by their peers and groups. Adolescent is the age which can decide our future i.e either make it or break it. Hence it is very much essential to give education's to these categories of people of our society.

Health education on the topic alcohol, other drugs, and sex are major drawback seen in the teens today. The adolescents are attracted to alcohol, and get drunk just to be a part of the society and to show off. They choose other form of drugs for various reasons i.e can be peer pressure, to impress the opposite sex, to forget their problems etc. And teen age pregnancy is increasing day by day causing I'll health to the mother as well as the infant.

The health education can be given in various areas like community, health centers but the most effective one is in educational areas where they are in group and it is easy to provide required knowledge to the targeted population at the same time.

Before beginning the programme the things that we need to consider are:

- to assess the vulnerability of the selected population.

- to assess the influence in the selected population.

- to identify the no. of population affected by any one of these factors.

- to identify the readiness of the population to take the information.

- to identify if the environment is suitable or not.

The most effective prevention programme that can be used is by the method of role play and also by providing the speech and interactive sessions from the people who have underwent all these problems and who wants to motivate the youths to stay away from these problems. The real life experiences motivates the people at most.

We should consider some ethical considerations regarding the planning that we have made. Some are:

- we have to identify our limits and boundaries.

- we should not become abusive or violent.

- we should not hurt the feelings of the population that are selected.

- we should not make anyone our target.

- we should not disclose any news unless given permission.

Message that the adolescents need to hear are:

- alcohol when taken in less amount can make life joyful but if taken in more amount can make life hell. It should not be made a habit to drink or take any form of drugs to hide our feelings and problems but try to solve it in other methods.

- sex should be in safe manner which should not effect you or your life.