Nur601 Reply to this discussion- Anabel

Question

M.G. is a school nurse practitioner in a district with a high number of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancy has been a problem in this district for several generations now, and the rate is one of the highest in the state.

She chairs a task force created to address the teen pregnancy problems in the school district. Teachers, parents, students, and other interested community members sit on the task force. M.G. affects change by providing information the community needs to develop health-oriented skills, attitudes, and related behavioral changes.

Case 3 Discussion

Health education on teenage pregnancies is a plan that aims at minimizing the number of teenage pregnancies especially those that are not planned. As the school nurse there should be strategies that can be used to meet this program. The nurse can organize a meeting with the teenage female students to discuss the issues concerned with early pregnancies. The students can then be given the opportunity to air their reasons for getting pregnant before the right time. Another way is by involving the parents in guidance of their children and the importance of mother-daughter closeness (Radzilani-Makatu  & Takalani, 2016). The nurse can also recommend on the means to prevent teenage pregnancies. Such factors involve the use of contraceptives, use of barrier methods to prevent pregnancies. The nurse can also recommend a seasonal meeting with the female teens to discuss their social issues and how they can avoid early pregnancies. Such talks will help the female students to open up about what is making them do certain things. Such reasons as lack of parental guidance, lack of restrictions from the parents or even cultural factors. By identifying such factors the nurse is able to identify a strategy that can help reduce teenage pregnancies and promote a healthy living (Cook & Cameroon, 2017).

            An effective health assessment does not only incorporate physiological parameters but also, psychological, economical, and other factors to reach maximal health potential on individuals. By considering the psychological parameters it calls for the health professional to look into the peoples’ beliefs, the culture of the people, and the level of education of these people. These factors contribute to the health status of the people. For instance, those people living in poor socioeconomic backgrounds are likely to suffer some conditions due to the environment that they live in. If these people cannot afford to eat healthily it means that they are likely to suffer diseases that are caused by poor nutritional values. Culture is another factor, some cultures advocate for early marriages for girls, which leads to early pregnancies and these pregnancies often complicate causing high mobility rates in the society (Edelman, Mandle & Kudzma, 2017). Early pregnancies are factors that contribute to psychological distress to the involved parties. To reduce this the healthcare promoters should look into the society and work on improving the peoples’ views on health and how they can change their lifestyle to promote healthy living.

            There are stages involved in family development. These are the various stages that a family takes from its beginning to its end. The first stage is beginning family whereby the couple comes up with a mutual agreement on marriage, realign the relationship with the extended family and then make a decision on parenthood. The next stage is the childbearing phase where the two integrate an infant into the family ad agree on parenting the child. The next is families with pre-school children. In this stage, the family is concerned about the social life of the child while maintaining a healthy relationship. The next stage is the family with school-going children. This family stage deals with the social needs of the children, the relationship of the children with each other. The next stage is family with teenagers, the family is concerned with a balance between the freedom of the children and their responsibility, at this stage the couple is also trying to refocus on marital and career issues. The next stage is a family launching young adults, there is a need to develop an adult-to-adult relationship with grown children and to expand the family to accommodate new members by marriage. Then the empty nest stage where the children leave their home to make their own living (Nomaguchi & Fettro, 2019)

            A family structure can be defined as a term used to describe the members of a household linked by marriage or bloodline in reference to at least one child living under that roof and below eighteen years of age. The function of a family structure is to provide a socialization foundation for the children. How they relate with others, this is an important factor in the promotion of family health. How the children are taught regarding their health will impact how they relate with people. A family also provides love and nurturance. By saying this it means that a family is responsible for making its members have a sense of belonging. This helps in promoting psychological health and avoidance of conditions such as depression (ZAHARIA, 2019). Maintenance and physical care is also the responsibility of a family. Keeping fit is a key factor when it comes to health promotion. It, therefore, calls for the family to encourage exercising to avoid obesity.

References

Cook, S. M., & Cameron, S. T. (2017). Social issues of teenage pregnancy. Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Reproductive Medicine, 27(11), 327-332.

Doyle, E. I., Ward, S. E., & Early, J. (2018). The process of community health education and promotion. Waveland Press.

Edelman, C. L., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2017). Health promotion throughout the life span-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Nomaguchi, K., & Fettro, M. N. (2019). Childrearing stages and work–family conflict: The role of job demands and resources. Journal of marriage and family, 81(2), 289-307.

Radzilani-Makatu, M., & Takalani, J. F. (2016). Awareness of prevention of teenage pregnancy amongst secondary school learners in Makhado municipality. African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 8(2), 1-5.

ZAHARIA, J. (2019). STRUCTURING SOCIETY: FAMILY FUNCTIONS VERSUS FAMILY ISSUES. Vizione, (33).