Chapter 1: Introducing health and development



Chapter 1: Introducing health and human development

Activity sheet 1 – Crossword

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Across

2 An example of an influence on emotional development and health (4, 10 letters)

10 How effectively an individual interacts with others (6, 6 letters)

11 Expansion of vocabulary is an example of this (12, 11 letters)

13 Used to illustrate a person’s level of health (6, 9 letters)

14 The expectations of gender (6, 5 letters)

Down

1 A process by which a person learns acceptable patterns of behaviour (13 letters)

2 An influence on social development and health (5 letters)

3 Chart used to monitor growth (10 letters)

4 Related to emotional development (4, 6 letters)

5 Gradual changes in physical, social, emotional and intellectual states and abilities (11 letters)

6 Large muscle development (5, 5 letters)

7 Harmful substances found in the physical environment (10 letters)

8 The government controls this as part of the political environment (7 letters)

9 A pattern of development (13 letters)

12 Period of time from conception to death (8 letters)

14 Increase in cell number, size and complexity (6 letters)

Answers

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Chapter 1: Introducing health and human development

Activity sheet 2 – Media analysis

Sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll. Whatever

Rather than educating children, television soaps may be making matters worse, writes Brad Newsome / Courtesy of Fairfax.

It’s fast times at TV High. There’s a pregnant teen in Neighbours unsure who the father is, a bulimic girl in Home and Away, a pot-smoking kid in The O.C., turkey slaps being given in Big Brother and many other examples of teenagers – or at least their scriptwriters – pushing the boundaries.

The federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, put Big Brother on the agenda at this week’s meeting with his state and territory counterparts. He wants new restrictions on the show after the ‘turkey slap’ incident in which one [male] housemate rubbed his groin in the face of a female contestant.

But do such storylines merely entertain or do they have a dangerous impact on their young audiences? Do they encourage copycat behaviour or do they help children take the steps they need to get help?

Angela Conway, the Australian Family Association’s Victorian vice-president, says that the teenage TV milieu is ‘hyper-focused on sex’ and fears that it is giving children ‘a skewed view of reality’.

‘They’re seeing a fairly hefty diet of sexual involvement and there’s evidence to suggest that it’s ageing young people,’ she says, supporting a view from people working with young adolescents that the consequences of children getting involved in sexual activities go beyond just sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. ‘Risk factors for drug abuse and relationship difficulties are linked to early sexual involvement,’ she says.

Conway says teenage soap operas need to lose their ‘overemphasis on dysfunction’ and portray marriage as a viable, stable relationship.

She says that if programmers want to get into difficult issues like sexual involvement, infections, unplanned pregnancy and then eating disorders and adolescent self-harm, they should create a more normal environment so a teenager can see it’s not normal.

While ‘a well-informed playing-out of issues can be helpful’, Conway says, some programs are pitched at wide audiences, ‘so you’ve got very young children watching shows like Home and Away and, unfortunately, The O.C. You don’t want 11- and 12-year-olds being interested in how you throw up to keep your weight down or how to go about cutting yourself’.

Some may view today’s children and teenagers as much more discerning and media-savvy than those of previous generations, she says, but they still need protection.

‘People assume that adolescents have adult capacities – they don’t. Their brains are still developing and they have poor impulse control and other developmental needs.’

Conway says Big Brother in particular portrays sex as a ‘point-scoring thing’. ‘I think young people are being sold short big time in these programs. With Big Brother they’re being sold a very ugly caricature of their lives.’

Conway says she resents the culture in which ‘girls carry grog and knives’ for boys and ‘are supposed to put up with turkey slapping and deliver oral sex’ when required.

Some of her concerns are shared by child psychotherapist Frances Thomson Salo. She says while examinations in soaps of delicate issues, such as teenage homosexuality, can be helpful in letting children in such situations know they are not alone, the bawdy behaviour of the Big Brother housemates poses problems. ‘The message we want to try to get across to kids is that relationships should be based on reciprocity and responsibility. I think we have to look at what is happening in the culture that these shows are so popular and we are not helping [teenagers] to find guidelines for their own sexuality.’

According to Thomson Salo, children in a supportive and loving family environment are less likely to be influenced by the behaviour of Big Brother housemates, but younger children and those developmentally delayed or struggling with personal or family issues could ape their behaviour.

Rick Pellezzeri, the executive producer of Neighbours, says his team is aware that children watch the show and that they take their responsibilities, and any complaints from the public, seriously. ‘We make a family show. We have a G classification and within that classification we have responsibilities. One of those is that parents should feel safe in letting children watch without supervision. But we have a responsibility to tell good, interesting stories relevant to Australians living in the suburbs in 2006,’ he says.

Pellezzeri says the depiction of issues can seem a bit unrealistic sometimes because ‘we’re making drama, we’re not making documentaries’. Even so, he says, it can be of benefit to viewers; one sent in a letter of thanks for a breast cancer storyline. After seeing a character examine her breasts, she did the same and found a cancerous lump.

Pellezzeri says his scriptwriters take professional advice for medical stories and if they have concerns about a storyline on any issue, they take it to the network’s in-house censor. ‘You can watch the news and see dead bodies in the street and that’s fine, that’s a decision that’s been made, but [children who watch the news] have to deal with material that’s far harsher than anything we could put on TV.’

As for sex, ‘We never show them sleeping together, so if you’re a six-year-old kid you wouldn’t know what’s going on,’ he says, pointing out that teenagers are having a lot more sex in the real world. There are things, however, that Neighbours will never touch. ‘Suicide is one of the biggest issues [facing young people] and I don’t think we’d do that because it’s too complex and too difficult for us,’ Pellezzeri says.

The most controversial storyline in an Australian soap is on Home and Away, where Mattie Hunter (Indiana Evans) is in hospital with bulimia.

A Channel Seven spokeswoman said: ‘In the Matilda “self-hatred” storyline, the Home and Away writing department and medical adviser worked with some eating disorders experts and made some adjustments to scripts based on their recommendations. Our writers and producers are always speaking to experts in a particular field and those that have experienced an issue. Naturally, each actor also adds input to the character, performance and the storyline. Indiana did her own research into the Matilda storyline. She was conscious of making her performance as real as possible.’

Sarah Walker, a project assistant with the Victorian Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders, who also works on the eating disorder wards at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, says that while the storyline could encourage people to seek help, she still has reservations about it. She is concerned that the story will be wrapped up too quickly and neatly and perpetuate the stereotype in which ‘eating disorders are seen as trifling and self-inflicted’.

Walker, who was hospitalised with an eating disorder seven years ago but has recovered, says that people often have eating disorders for five to seven years before seeking help, and that they can continue to struggle for 10 years afterwards. She says it is essential that Home and Away handles the story well because its audience is the highest-risk demographic for eating disorders.

Professor Ian Lang, head of the school of film and television at the Victorian College of the Arts, says program makers have a strong sense of responsibility and that parents who are concerned about their children’s viewing should take more responsibility.

‘I’d be more worried about an eight-year-old seeing the bombing of Beirut that’s going on at the moment than Neighbours.’

Source: The Age Newspaper, 29 July 2006

Questions

1. Identify the forms of media, according to the article above, that children and adolescents come into contact with?

2. Describe other forms of media that a child or adolescent may be influenced by.

3. What are some of the health issues that are being portrayed on television, according to this article?

4. What are the concerns identified in the article regarding the portrayal of health issues by this form of media?

5. Describe the possible affects on the health of adolescents and children of these portrayals.

6. Why are there particular concerns regarding young children being exposed to the issues being portrayed on television?

7. Identify where adolescents and children can go to get help with issues they may be facing.

1. What other factors in the social environment may influence the health and development of individuals.

Chapter 2: Understanding youth

Activity sheet 1: Research task

1 Visit legalaid..au and upload the document ‘Am I Old Enough?’ by clicking on the link ‘Publications’.

2 Create an information brochure suitable for youth on their rights and responsibilities.

In your brochure include the following information:

▪ an explanation of a youth’s rights

▪ an explanation of discrimination

▪ an explanation of a youth’s responsibilities

▪ a summary of general examples of rights and responsibilities

▪ details of rights and responsibilities for a specific topic; choose from the list below:

- school

- work

- being independent

- being a consumer

- relationships

- family problems

- health problems

- legal issues

▪ a list of helpful websites that a young person can go to for extra information or help.

(Note: Make sure your brochure is colourful and appealing to young people.)

Chapter 2: Understanding youth

Activity sheet 2: Self-reflection task

Gaining independence and responsibilities

As an individual moves through adolescence they gain greater independence. With the gaining of independence there is an increase in responsibilities. Meeting responsibilities requires decision making skills and making choices based on values and beliefs.

Reflect on your own values, beliefs and experiences to answer the following questions.

1 Identify the five things you believe you value the most (some examples include: freedom, honesty, money, health, success).

2 Identify the experiences you have had that have helped you form the values you identified in question 1.

3 List the responsibilities that you currently have in the areas of your life (where relevant) below:

a At home.

b At school.

c At work.

d In community groups (for example, sporting team, religious group, etc.).

4 Of the responsibilities you have identified in question 3:

a Explain how your values have influenced you meeting them.

b Indicate the things you find difficult or easy about meeting them.

5 What changes in your life are you expecting to experience in the next 5 to 10 years?

6 How do these changes relate to your gaining independence?

7 How do these changes relate to your values?

8 For the changes you have listed, identify the responsibilities that you believe will be attached to them.

9 What difficulties may you experience in relation to the increase in responsibilities you will experience?

10 What aspects of these responsibilities are you looking forward to?

Chapter 3: The developing adult

Activity sheet 1: Physical development during adolescence

Instructions: Unscramble each of the clue words that relate to physical development during adolescence. Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number.

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Answers

Rapid growth

Endocrine system

Oestrogen

Puberty

LH and FSH

Testosterone

Gonads

Menarche

Growth spurt

Hardening of bones

Thyroxine

Reproductive system

Ovaries and testes

Pubic hair

Menstrual cycle

Ovulation

Physical maturation

Physical development during adolescence results in a child developing the characteristics that make them capable of reproduction

Chapter 3: The developing adult

Activity sheet 2: The endocrine system and hormone release during adolescence

Complete the following table.

|Hormone |Function |Gland releasing the |Site in the body the |

| | |hormone |hormone |

| | | |acts on |

|Growth hormone (GH) | | | |

|Thyroid stimulating hormone | | | |

|(TSH) | | | |

|Thyroxine | | | |

|ACTH | | | |

|Follicle stimulating hormone | | | |

|(FSH) | | | |

|Luteinising hormone (LH) | | | |

|Testosterone | | | |

|Oestrogen | | | |

|Progesterone | | | |

Chapter 4: The health of youth

Activity sheet 1: Revision table

Complete the table below for each of the sub-population groups of youth indicated.

|Sub-population group |Health status difference |Risk-taking behaviour |Impact on development |Possible protective factors |

|Males and females | | | | |

|Low socioeconomic groups | | | | |

|Indigenous | | | | |

|Non-English speaking | | | | |

|background (NESB) | | | | |

|Rural and remote residents | | | | |

Chapter 4: The health of youth

Activity sheet 2: Media analysis

Alienated indigenous youth turn to alcohol

By Russell Skelton / Courtesy of Fairfax

The confrontation between the elders and the petrol sniffers took place under a ferocious Western Desert sun. Fifty children had been herded onto the school basketball court for an hour-long unrelenting public humiliation.

Those watching the events, including staff from the primary school, thought the shaming was a bad idea, especially in the school grounds.

But the elders were determined to force the youth of Papunya into giving up the habit of their all too brief lifetimes. They also believed they had no choice. Desperate sniffers had been regularly stealing petrol from the fuel tanks of construction workers, who were now threatening to leave the remote settlement for good.

‘The tirade went on and on for over an hour,’ recalls one teacher who watched the confrontation unfold. ‘You could see the kids were getting visibly upset. Some were crying, some were shaking with rage. And then a few started shouting defiantly back.’

In the middle of it all, a boy ran from the school, climbed the nearby water tower, the tallest construction in the town, and stood there threatening to jump. Although he was eventually talked down, one thing was now dreadfully apparent to those witnessing events: traditional ways were of no practical use in solving non-cultural problems.

Papunya’s young are deeply alienated, so much so that they are turning away from the Dreamtime stories of their fathers and opting for a diet of alcohol, sniffing, junk food and ghetto rap to cope with the boredom and isolation. Sexual abuse and under-age sex are significant unstated and largely unaddressed problems.

Michael Nelson Jagamara, a distinguished Western Desert painter who designed the forecourt at Parliament House and one of the elders doing the shaming that day in the Luritja language, despairs about the destructive impact of sniffing. ‘The kids are just not interested in learning the stories – petrol does that to them. We tried to teach a group of kids about painting, but only five turned up,’ he says.

‘We had another meeting about sniffing recently and it was decided to get the new opal (odourless) fuel for Papunya, but we don’t know when it is coming. The risk for us is that if kids don’t want to learn about the Dreaming it could be lost, it won’t be passed on.

‘We got it from our fathers, so who is going to pass it on to them? Petrol does that, it closes the mind.’

Pastor Murphy Roberts, a Lutheran, has lived at Papunya since the early 1970s when art teacher Geoffrey Bardon taught people who had wandered in from the desert how to paint Dreaming images on canvas and bits of scrap board, and in so doing launched the world recognised Western Desert painting movement.

Pastor Roberts spends ‘days and nights’ dealing with sniffing-related problems, but says the situation is getting worse. ‘We don’t know what to do. It’s a problem that just won’t go away.’

When Pastor Roberts spoke to The Sunday Age it was late at night over a charcoal fire and under a jewelled sky. He had been administering pastoral care to a family consumed by the ravages of substances abuse. He was exhausted and sick with worry.

Since the water tower incident in February, the situation in Papunya has worsened. Out of an estimated population of 350 – including 150 children – there are 80 known petrol sniffers.

In the past five weeks there have been four attempted suicides. A healthcare worker familiar with the community says: ‘There have been attempted hangings, in very public places. The situation is dreadful, but it is as much a cry for help as anything else. These kids are bored rigid; they have nothing to do.’

In a recent incident, police allege a 23-year-old deliberately set fire to his wife during a bitter drunken argument. The man hurled the plastic container he was sniffing from at his wife as she was lighting a cigarette. She suffered severe burns to 10% of her body, including her head, neck and chest. Daniel Pollard has been charged with aggravated assault and committing a dangerous act.

The Sunday Age has been told by welfare workers visiting Papunya that it is not uncommon for young mothers to rub their breasts with petrol to pacify babies. A teacher who was offered a baby to nurse was shocked to find that it ‘reeked’ of petrol fumes.

At night children roam the streets, cloistered under blankets, cans in hand. They huddle around tiny roadside charcoal fires to fend off the desert cold. When the first streaks of light signal another day, they saunter home to sleep away the daylight hours in dilapidated houses crammed with family and mangy dogs.

A recent audit of Papunya’s 60 houses found that 10 were uninhabitable. Blocked toilets meant that raw sewage was flowing into the garden where children played. Despite an annual allocation of around $3000 a house for repairs from the Northern Territory Government, Papunya council last year dismissed a full-time housing maintenance officer on the grounds that there was no money to pay his wages. He had been employed for less than eight weeks.

Decisions such as that – many of them inspired by Papunya’s unofficial potentate, the white store manager and former executive Steve Hanley – have hastened the community’s slide from a thriving art centre with a population of 1400 to a dysfunctional outpost.

Last year Mr Hanley, who had just completed a four-year term as CEO, engineered the removal of World Vision from Papunya, including its two workers providing anti-sniffing and healthcare programs. Most Papunya men don’t live much beyond 50 and death rates for 35-year-olds are 11 times higher than for people living in Melbourne or Sydney. Elderly Aborigines, who came in from the desert where they survived on natural foods hunted and gathered, are watching their children die of heart disease, diabetes, hepatitis and kidney failure.

Ironically, many of the petrol sniffers have better health than non-sniffers. Because they sniff, their appetite is suppressed and they don’t consume so much junk food. ‘There are less of them (sniffers) suffering from heart disease, sugar diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity,’ according to a healthcare professional who recently visited.

But sniffing takes it toll in other ways. A youth worker, who asked not to be identified, said he remembers one ‘brilliant young girl’ who was extraordinarily athletic with lightning fast reflexes. ‘One day she suddenly disappeared, she stopped turning up to school. The next time I saw her she was emaciated and her eyes had lost their intelligent glow.’

For their part, the children themselves appear to hold a deeply cynical view of the small taskforce of teachers, medical staff, accountants and government department employees and officials that comes and goes. They refer to the doctors as ‘seagulls’ because they fly in and out. Teachers are called ‘white goods’ because they never last more than two years before they burn out.

Despite the odds and an environment that works against them, Papunya’s young can and do display remarkable promise, especially on the football field and with the painted word. ‘When they have something concrete to do, they go for it. They love footy; I have seen a team of sniffers playing the most chaotic but brilliant footy,’ recalls the youth worker. ‘They will drive 200 kilometres to Kintore for a match, play the most extraordinary football you are ever likely to see, and win.’

Western Desert painting burst onto the scene soon after Geoffrey Bardon encouraged a group of school gardeners and maintenance workers to paint the Honey Ant Dreaming story on the school wall. It was the main mythology of central Australia; it was also a milestone in Australian art history.

In his books, Mr Bardon recalls the men coming to the school to sit before the mural and chant the Honey Ant songs. One of those painters is Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra, who was tossing off a $20 000 canvas in one day in exchange for a four-wheel-drive. Mr Tjakamarra is a big crusty man with smiling eyes, and his works can be found in galleries all over the world. ‘You know,’ he says, ‘it was terrible that they painted over that mural. It should never have happened. It was the greatest work of art ever.’

Asked if Papunya’s art movement has been decimated, he shoots back: ‘No, all the best painters come from Papunya.’

After a short pause he adds: ‘The petrol, it is bad. Terrible.’

Source: The Age Newspaper, 15 May 2005

Questions

1 Define harmful risk-taking behaviour and healthy risk-taking behaviour.

2 Identify examples of harmful risk-taking behaviour and healthy risk-taking behaviour evident in the article.

3 List the factors that the youth are exposing themselves to that may put them at risk for poor health in later life.

4 Define the term protective factor.

5 Describe the protective factors that are evident in the article.

6 Describe the effect that ‘sniffing’ is having on the health and development of the youth of Papunya.

7 Identify steps that could be taken to decrease substance abuse in Papunya.

8 Identify the limitations that the community of Papunya may experience in implementing protective factors for the youth of the community.

Chapter 5: Challenges for youth

Activity sheet 1: Understanding homelessness

‘Reach Out!’ is a web-based organisation focusing on the health and wellbeing of young people. The aim of the service is ‘to improve young people’s mental health and wellbeing by providing support information and referrals’.

Log on to the Reach Out website at .au. Click on the ‘Sorting Stuff Out’ link. Find ‘managing independence’ and click on the ‘homelessness’ fact sheet.

1 Answer the following questions using the information found in the fact sheet.

a What are the four main levels of homelessness?

b How many people, and to whom, does this issue affect?

c What reasons are identified for homelessness?

d Of these issues, highlight those you believe relate to young people.

e What support organisations or services are available for individuals who are homeless?

f How does homelessness impact the health and development of youth?

2 In your workbook, write an article for a local health centre that highlights the challenges of homelessness for youth, and include a ‘where to find help/support’ section. Make sure you link the issues of homelessness to the health and development of youth.

3 Visit .au and play their interactive game ‘Where’s your head at?’. Keep a record in your workbook about the skills you achieve throughout the game.

Look back over your list of these skills. Do you believe that these skills are important for young people to have to help them face the challenges of youth? Identify which skills could have a positive impact on the challenges faced by youth in this chapter.

Chapter 5: Challenges for youth

Activity sheet 2: Accessing health services

1 Using the words listed in the box below, place each word into the sentence where it belongs. Words listed may be used more than once.

access, accessible, bullying, cautious, communication, community safety,

confidence, confidentiality, describe, drug use, embarrassed, express,

homelessness, independent living, information, interpersonal relationships,

language, Medicare, mental health, parents, privacy, reliable, schools, services,

sexual and reproductive health, skills, sources, violence, vulnerable

a __________ __________ are social associations, connections or a bond between two or more people.

b Issues of concern to youth include: ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, ____________________, ____________________.

c Issues identified as barriers for youth in accessing health resources have been identified as cost, ____________________, compassion, convenience, ____________________ and developmental issues.

d Youth may not know what ____________________ are available to them.

e They may not know how to use the ____________________ or bulk billing services.

f Youth may fear the loss of their ____________________ or have concerns about their ____________________ finding out.

g Many do not know or understand what their rights are with respect to ____________________.

h Some may not speak the ____________________ that the service is provided in or may not be able to ____________________ or ____________________ their symptoms or needs.

i Individuals may not have the ____________________ and ____________________ to access health services themselves or alone.

j Some individuals may feel too ____________________ and ____________________ to seek help, especially if their health issue is related to sexual or reproductive health. Many are ____________________ of sharing their personal information with strangers.

k There is a wide range of ____________________ of information available in relation to the challenges they face and it is important that young people ____________________ services to look after their health.

l ____________________ are a place where young people can get ____________________ and ____________________ health information.

2 Develop a media campaign (could be radio, print media, television or pod cast) that addresses one of the barriers identified as stopping youth accessing health services. You will need to identify the barriers and provide information or strategies to overcome this as a problem or concern for youth. Try and include a catchy jingle or logo as part of your campaign.

(Hint: Look at the road safety campaigns in Chapter 5 of your textbook to help you get started.)

Answers (to question 1)

a. interpersonal relationships

b. bullying, community safety, violence, homelessness, independent living, drug use, mental health, sexual and reproductive health

c. confidentiality, communication

d. services

e. Medicare

f. privacy, parents

g. confidentiality

h. language, describe, express

i. skills, confidence

j. embarrassed, vulnerable, cautious

k. sources, access

l. schools, accessible, reliable

Chapter 6: Australian families

Activity sheet 1: Media analysis

National survey reveals 70% of parents are under significant community pressure to get ‘their parenting right’

A study released today by the Australian Childhood Foundation, The Changing Face of Parenting in Australia, revealed that 70% of Australian parents feel they are under significant community pressure to get ‘their parenting right’ in today’s rapidly changing society.

Joe Tucci, co-author and CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation said: ‘the findings highlight that parents are feeling the weight of community expectations and attitudes. One in four parents reported they risk being negatively judged if they admit to having a problem with their parenting and this pressure stops them from asking for help in times of difficulty.’

‘For the sake of all children, we need to promote the message that the community values the role of parenting,’ said Joe Tucci.

The parents surveyed nationally recognise the makings of a good parent which include ensuring children feel loved (99%), spending quality time with them (98%) and setting a good example (98%). However, parents experience internal pressures (balancing work and family, costs of raising children) and external threats (world events, technology and media) as major challenges in their parenting.

‘Two-thirds of parents continue to rely heavily on the way they were parented to deal with their children. However, there is emerging recognition that this often leaves them ill-equipped to deal with the changing face of family and community life in a contemporary world.

‘In the face of the enormous challenges for parents today, it is important that we both work to promote the community attitudes that are more supportive of parents and provide them with credible and easy to access information and support,’ said Joe Tucci.

The report will be released today in Perth as part of the launch of the Every Child Is Important program. The program to be launched by Senator Kay Patterson, Minister for Family and Community Services, is an innovative public education initiative developed by the Australian Childhood Foundation and funded by the Australian Government Department of Family and Community.

The report The Changing Face of Parenting in Australia was produced by the Australian Childhood Foundation in partnership with the National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse at Monash University and Quantum Market Research.

Source: Australian Childhood Foundation, media release, 26 April 2005

Questions

1 What percentage of parents feel under pressure to get parenting right?

2 According to the parents surveyed, what are the qualities of a good parent?

3 Identify the internal and external challenges to effective parenting.

4 Two thirds of parents continue to rely heavily on the way they were parented to deal with their children. However, there is emerging recognition that this often leaves them ill-equipped to deal with the changing face of family and community life in a contemporary world.

Identify the changes to family today that leaves them ill-equipped if they rely on the way they were parented to parent their own children.

5 Outline the three main stages of families and identify two key roles within each stage.

6 Justify the relevance of these traditional stages for families of today.

7 Mr Joe Tucci from the Australian Childhood Foundation said that ‘in the face of the enormous challenges for parents today, it is important that we work to promote the community attitudes that are more supportive of parents and provide them with credible and easy to access information and support’.

Suggest steps your community can take to be more supportive of parents and suggest ideas of how your community could ensure parents are provided with credible and easy to access information.

Chapter 6: Australian families

Activity sheet 2: Fill the gap

Using the words listed in the box below, place each word into the sentence where it belongs. Words listed may be used more than once.

blended, brother, de facto, grandparents, intact, marriage, one-parent, step, sister

1 The median age for first ______________ for females and for males is getting older and this is due partly to an increase in ______________ relationships.

2 A family consisting of a lone parent with at least one dependent or non-dependent child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the household, and that may also include any number of other dependent children, non-dependent children and other related individuals is known as a ______________ family.

3 A family comprising of two parents and two or more children (aged 0–17 years), of whom at least one is the natural or adopted child of both members of the couple, and at least one is the stepchild of either member of the couple, is known as a ______________ family.

4 A couple with at least one child who is the natural or foster child of both members of the couple, and no child who is the stepchild of either member of the couple, is known as an ______________ family

5 A couple family containing one or more children (aged 0–17 years), at least one of whom is the stepchild of either member of the couple, and none of whom is the natural or foster child of both members of the couple, is known as a ______________ family.

6 Other family type is used to describe other families of related individuals who live in the same house that do not form a couple or parent–child relationship with any other person in the household, for example, a household containing ______________ and ______________ only or a family where the ______________ cares for the children.

7 Recent data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggests that there has been an increase in the number of ______________ families, and a decrease in the number of ______________ families, however, it is important to note that more than 7 out of 10 children live in ______________ families.

8 Early Australian television showed many American programs, most of which portrayed an idealised, traditional ______________ family.

9 Indigenous children are more likely than non-Indigenous children to live in a ______________ family.

Chapter 7: Influences on young Australians

Activity sheet 1: Meeting the nutritional needs of children

Childhood is a time of slow and steady growth and intense physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.

A balanced diet is important for optimal development.

1 Identify four nutrients that are important for the healthy development of children and explain the function of each.

2 Identify and explain three factors that provide obstacles to providing children with a balanced diet.

3 Suggest three helpful hints for parents to assist them in providing a balanced diet for their child.

4 Identify three healthy lunch box snacks for school-aged children and explain why each is an appropriate snack.

5 Prepare an ideal menu for a five-year-old child’s daily food intake, based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents.

Chapter 7: Influences on young Australians

Activity sheet 2: The role of play

Play has an important influence in the development of a child. Children of all ages need time in their day for play, and play should be active, pleasurable, spontaneous and voluntary. While some television programs and computer games can be educational, extended hours of sitting in front of a television, computer or video game is no substitute for play. Board games, dolls, dress-ups, art and craft, and outdoor games such as playing with a ball and bat are ideal play for children.

During play such as board games, reading, playing shops, arts and crafts, dress-ups, outdoor play, climbing on playground equipment, visiting a new place or trying something new, children are able to use their imagination, release emotions, express their feelings, learn to share, learn team work, practice taking turns, and learn to cooperate. They are able to be creative, think, begin to understand the concept of time, shapes, colours, quantity and money, and learn new words and information. Play helps to encourage problem solving skills and helps to build a child’s understanding of the world, as well as develop coordination and motor skills, and build fitness.

Complete the following table to demonstrate how play can assist development.

|Type of play |How it can optimise development |Safety considerations |

| |Physical |Social |Emotional |Intellectual | |

|Climbing on play |Builds gross motor skills |Learn skills required to |Builds self-esteem |Encourages children to |Ensure children have hat |

|equipment |and coordination |play with others – taking | |think and problem solve |and sunscreen and that |

| | |turns | | |equipment is safe |

|Playing board games | | | | | |

|Role play (e.g. playing| | | | | |

|shops, doctors or | | | | | |

|school) | | | | | |

|Art and craft | | | | | |

|Other (specify) | | | | | |

Chapter 8: Addressing the health concerns of young Australians

Activity sheet 1: Fill the gap

Using the words listed in the box below, place each word into the sentence where it belongs. Words listed may be used more than once.

asthma, communicable diseases, higher, immunised, injury,

lower, mental health, obesity, poisoning

1 Death rates among children have fallen in recent decades, in particular deaths from ______________ ______________and ______________.

2 Over the past 20 years, while there have been some significant improvements in the health of Australian children, there has also been an increase in some health concerns such as diabetes, ______________, ______________ and ______________ ______________.

3 The leading cause of childhood deaths among those aged 0–14 is ______________ and ______________.

4 The level of ill health is ______________ among Indigenous children.

5 Mortality rates are ______________ among Indigenous children.

6 Infant mortality rates are ______________ among children in rural and remote areas.

7 The risk of injury is ______________ among children in urban areas compared to those in the most remote areas.

8 ______________ contributes to ______________ rates of school absenteeism, tiredness, poor concentration and reduced motivation in children.

9 ______________ ______________ are caused by a bacteria or a virus and the National Health and Medical Research Council recommends children should be _____________ against many of them.

10 ______________ in children can have serious consequences such as high blood pressure, muscular skeletal discomfort, Type 2 diabetes and shortness of breath.

11 There are many Kidsafe initiatives that have been implemented to address ______________ among children.

12 The ‘Go for 2&5’® and ‘Get Moving’ campaigns are part of the governments Building a Healthy Active Australia package, aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and activity levels and reduce the incidence of ______________.

Chapter 8: Addressing the health concerns of young Australians

Activity sheet 2 – Data analysis

Summary from: The State of Victoria’s children report 2006

• Victoria has experienced falling birth rates in recent decades and the birth rate is projected to fall further.

• In Victoria, the health of children has improved over the past 50 years.

• Death rates among children continue to fall for most causes.

• In Victoria, the infant mortality rate in 2004 was 3.3 per 1000 live births (the Australian rate in the same year was 4.7 per 1000 live births).

• Unfortunately, the prevalence of obesity among Victorian children is increasing.

• Male children are more likely to be injured and hospitalised for injuries than female children.

• Children aged 0–4 years are most at risk of serious injuries. Of all children requiring treatment in the emergency department of hospitals, children aged 0–4 years contribute 28.9%, followed by 10–14 year olds (26.2%) and 5–9 year olds (22.8%).

Percentage of Victorian children by family type

|Family type |Percentage of children |

|Intact |75 |

|Step |3.5 |

|Blended |3.4 |

|Lone parent |17.9 |

Project population of Victoria (2001–2031) by five-year age

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SIDS, neonatal and postnatal infantas, Victoria, 1985–2004

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Oral health status: children in rural and metropolitan areas

| |Rural (%) |Metropolitan (%) |Victoria (%) |

|Child has (ever) had toothache |31.2 |23.1 |25.4 |

|Child has (ever) had a filling |25.2 |18.0 |20.0 |

|Child has (ever) had a tooth extracted |11.4 |6.5 |7.9 |

|Child has (ever) had any dental treatment in hospital under|7.2 |3.1 |4.2 |

|general anaesthetic | | | |

Source for all stats: Department of Human Services, ‘The State of Victoria’s children report 2006 – every child every chance’, Victorian Government Department of Human Services, 2006

Questions

You will need to refer to information from chapters 6, 7 and 8 in your textbook to assist you in answering these questions.

1 How does the birth rate and the death rate of Victorian children compare to the national rate?

2 Consider the data in Figure 8.1 on the previous page.

a Which family type is the most common for Victorian children?

b Discuss how the data in Figure 8.1 compares to that of all Australian children.

3 Consider the data in Figure 8.2.

a Identify two trends in the data.

b Outline two possible reasons for these trends.

4 Consider the data in Figure 8.3.

a Identify two trends from the data.

b Outline two reasons for the trends.

c Explain how the data in Figure 8.3 compares to that of all Australian children.

5 Consider the data in Figure 8.4.

a Identify two trends from the data.

b Outline two reasons for the trends.

6 Explain how the incidence of obesity among Victorian children compares to that of all Australian children.

7 Discuss how the incidence of injuries among Victorian children compares to that of all Australian children.

Chapter 9: Influences on Australian adults

Activity sheet 1 – Data analysis

Total fertility rates ABS

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Questions

1 What is the graph showing as the current trend in fertility rates?

2 Explain a possible reason for this trend.

3 How would you describe the trend from 1998 to 2003? Explain your answer.

4 What is ‘the replacement level’?

5 At what year did total fertility go below the replacement level?

6 What is the fertility rate for 2003?

7 Identify and explain two of the main reasons for Australia’s fertility rate.

8 What are some implications for Australian society and citizens if the fertility level goes below the replacement level?

9 What could be done as a nation to improve our fertility rates? Come up with a strategy that could be put in place.

Chapter 9: Influences on Australian adults

Activity sheet 2 – Crossword

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Across

5 The social group in which children are normally raised; the body considered to be responsible for the health and development of children (8 letters [plural])

6 The feeling of having enough money to meet one’s needs (9, 8 letters)

9 When more than one factor is connected, often referred to as __________ (18 letters)

11 The feeling and showing of emotions of love, support and care towards a person (9 letters)

13 This is positively developed through encouragement, compliments and positive communications (4, 6 letters)

Down

1 A feeling of personal safety and protection (8, 8 letters)

2 The image and self-perceptions people have of themselves and includes how they choose to present themselves to others (8 letters)

3 A sense of feeling a part of something, a feeling of connectedness to other people or being involved in a community (9 letters)

4 A family should provide plenty of these to support the needs of adults and family members (13 letters)

7 The first thing that a person owns (4 letters)

8 A strong sense of security within a family is important for this component of health (9 letters)

10 A person’s ability to cope positively to stress, challenging circumstances, and problems when they arise (10 letters)

12 The result of a number of factors; can be positive or negative (6 letters)

Answers

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Chapter 10: Addressing health concerns of Australian adults

Activity sheet 1 – Movie analysis: Iris

Iris (87 minutes)

A true story based on John Bayley’s novels about his wife and celebrated English author Dame Iris Murdoch.

1 In the space below, create a timeline of the movie, showing Iris’ journey and highlighting major events and the changes she experiences during her life.

2 Write down the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s as they occur during the movie.

3 Name all of the characters who took on a caregiver’s role for Iris.

4 Discuss how Iris’ condition impacted on these relationships.

5 Provide two examples of the role of Iris’ husband, John, in providing optimal care of the health and development of Iris.

6 Discuss the impacts of looking after Iris on the health of her husband John.

7 Were there any community agencies identified or used in the movie to support Alzheimer’s? If so, list them.

8 Using your knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease, do you believe the movie accurately portrays Alzheimer’s or are there inaccuracies of the disease presented? Explain your answer.

9 Discuss the benefits of putting Iris into a nursing home. Remember to think about the people caring for Iris, not just Iris herself, and talk about social, emotional and physical needs.

10 Discuss the negatives for putting Iris into a nursing home.

11 Do you believe John made the best decision by caring for Iris at home? Justify your answer.

12 How did this movie make you feel? Explain why.

13 John makes the statement ‘there isn’t any help for her’ (Iris). Research a community agency that could have helped and supported Iris. What support does this organisation offer for both the sufferer and the care giver(s)?

Interesting point: Iris is a celebrated and award-winning movie – Judi Dench was nominated for an Academy Awards ‘Best Actress’ for her role in this movie; Kate Winslet was nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actress’; and Jim Broadbent received the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’!

Chapter 11: Healthcare in Australia

Activity sheet 1 – Crossword

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Across

2 Approach to health that involves taking action to avoid illness occurring or returning and to detect illness at the earliest time possible (12 letters)

6 The Australian Government’s national funded health scheme (8 letters)

7 Dentists, dietitians, nurses, occupational therapists, optometrists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, podiatrist and psychologists are examples of this type of health professional (6 letters)

9 The state government is responsible for public __________ (9 letters)

10 Health services that work together with, and complement, conventional healthcare service (13 letters)

12 When the medical practitioner accepts the schedule fee as full payment for the service (4, 7 letters)

13 TGA stands for the __________ Goods Administration and is responsible for the regulation of medicines in Australia (11 letters)

Down

1 Approach to healthcare that involves the diagnosis and treatment of the physical or biological aspects of disease and illness (10 letters)

3 __________ health services are those that provide a substitute for conventional healthcare services (11 letters)

4 Making an identical copy of a gene, cell, tissue or organism (7 letters)

5 In Victoria, it is the role of this commissioner to receive and resolve complaints about health service providers and to protect the privacy of and right of access to an individual’s health information (6, 8 letters)

8 Based on the philosophy of the ‘healing power of nature’ (11 letters)

11 A Japanese technique based on the belief that an unseen ‘life force energy’ flows through our body and is connected to health (5 letters)

Answers

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Chapter 11: Healthcare in Australia

Activity sheet 2 – Media analysis

Faith, hope and charity delivered to parents

By Kate Jones and Michelle Pountney / Courtesy of the Herald and Weekly Times.

Meet Australia’s most prolific egg donor.

Over the past 12 years, Faith Haugh has helped 10 infertile Victorian couples fulfil their dream of parenthood.

Her egg donations have resulted in 17 children, including two sets of twins.

It has also earned her a nomination for next year’s Australian of the Year award.

What’s more, the Altona supermum has inspired her own family to help childless couples.

Ms Haugh’s daughter, Ashlyn, 17, also plans to donate her eggs when she turns 18 next year.

And this year her partner, Glenn Watson, began donating his sperm. Mr Watson’s sperm donation brought joy to a gay couple who recently welcomed their first child into the world.

Ms Haugh, 36, hopes to keep donating her eggs for as long as she is fertile.

‘It makes me feel really proud and it’s so rewarding,’ she said.

‘Six weeks of minimal time for me means a lifetime of difference for these people.’

She is proud of her daughter’s plans to become an egg donor, but stresses it is totally Ashlyn’s decision.

‘It’s a good thing but it’s totally up to her,’ she said.

Ms Haugh has met about half of her biological children. She sees some of them a few times a year and sends some of them Christmas and birthday presents.

‘The only thing I want to know is the sex of the child and if everyone’s healthy,’ she said.

Egg donations are scarce in Victoria.

Ms Haugh became a donor 12 years ago after reading a newspaper advertisement from a couple who had had a stillborn child.

Most childless couples wait up to four years before a suitable donor is found.

Fertility laws have been in the spotlight this week following the birth of a surrogate baby to Victorian senator Stephen Conroy and his wife, Paula Benson.

The couple announced the birth of their daughter, Isabella, after they had reproductive treatment in New South Wales. Surrogacy is effectively illegal in Victoria.

Ms Haugh said she was not opposed to surrogacy, but would not be able to give birth and hand the baby to somebody else.

‘I volunteered once to be a surrogate but in the end I couldn’t go through with it,’ she said.

Fertility doctors have called for the laws to be scrapped and one expert, Dr John McBain from Melbourne IVF, wants surrogate mothers to be compensated for the inconvenience and any discomfort they suffer.

Ms Haugh said she did not support the proposal.

‘A surrogate’s medical expenses should be paid for, but other than that I don’t think they should be paid,’ she said.

Source: The Herald-Sun, 10 November 2006

Questions

1 Ms Haugh donates her eggs to infertile couples. The egg can be used to create a baby in a number of ways.

• Sometimes the female of the couple will carry the embryo after having it implanted via IVF.

• In some cases the sperm of the male partner of the couple will be used, in other cases a donor sperm may be used.

• In other cases a surrogate mother may be used, with either the sperm from the male partner or a donor.

Discuss your opinion in relation to egg donation, identifying any limitations or conditions you would place on its use.

2 Ms Haugh is proud of her daughter’s choice to donate her eggs when she is 18. Do you share her opinion? Why or why not?

3 What is surrogacy?

4 Discuss some possible positive and negative consequences of surrogacy and egg donation.

5 Do you feel that egg/sperm donors and/or surrogate mothers should be paid for their service? Why or why not?

6 Discuss your opinion of surrogacy, identifying any limitations or conditions you would place on its use.

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