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This article titled “Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what psychologists are doing to help” by the American Psychological Association highlights how the COVID-19 era created a mental health crisis for America’s youth, resulting in higher rates of suicide and depression. Many students have had parents lose a caregiver to COVID-19 or have had a caregiver lose a job. Across the field, psychologists are studying the biological, social, and structural contributors to this crisis. They are creating training programs for educators on how to combat such issues and are working towards expanding the mental health workforce. The information in this article spreads awareness for mental health advocation in the classroom and the need for educated and well-equipped staff members who can support their student’s emotionally. To help children in the classroom, teachers can apply what they are learning in their educator training programs. It is essential for teachers to be educated on this topic so that students can flourish in their learning environments.

Abrams, Z. (2023, January 1). Kids’ mental health is in crisis. Here’s what

psychologists are doing to help. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-health

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Research is focused on child and teen mental health, exploring why they are struggling and what can be done to help them

Cite this

Abrams, Z. (2023, January 1). Kids' mental health is in crisis. Here's what psychologists are doing to help. Monitor on Psychology, 54(1). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/01/trends-improving-youth-mental-health

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The Covid-19 pandemic era ushered in a new set of challenges for youth in the United States, leading to a mental health crisis as declared by the United States surgeon general just over a year ago. But U.S. children and teens have been suffering for far longer.

In the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness-as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors-increased by about 40% among young people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

"We're seeing really high rates of suicide and depression, and this has been going on for a while," said psychologist Kimberly Hoagwood, PhD, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine. "It certainly got worse during the pandemic."

In addition to the social isolation and academic disruption nearly all children and teens faced, many also lost caregivers to Covid-19, had a parent lose their job, or were victims of physical or emotional abuse at home.

All these difficulties, on top of growing concerns about social media, mass violence, natural disasters, climate change, and political polarization-not to mention the normal ups and downs of childhood and adolescence-can feel insurmountable for those who work with kids.

"The idea of a 'mental health crisis' is really broad. For providers and parents, the term can be anxiety-provoking," said Melissa Brymer, PhD, who directs terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. "Part of our role is to highlight specific areas that are critical in this discussion."

Across the field, psychologists are doing just that. In addition to studying the biological, social, and structural contributors to the current situation, they are developing and disseminating solutions to families, in schools, and at the state level. They're exploring ways to improve clinical training and capacity and working to restructure policies to support the most vulnerable children and teens.

Psychologists were also behind new mental health recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of volunteer health professionals who evaluate evidence on various preventive health services. The task force now recommends regular anxiety screenings for youth ages 8 to 18 and regular depression screenings for adolescents ages 12 to 18.

"I see these trends in children's mental health problems as being critical, but there are solutions," Hoagwood said. "If we refocus our efforts toward those solutions, we could see some of these tides turn."

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Sources of stress

Across the United States, more than 200,000 children lost a parent or primary caregiver to Covid-19 ("Covid-19 Orphanhood," Imperial College London, 2022). In the face of those losses, families had to curtail mourning rituals and goodbye traditions because of social distancing requirements and other public health measures, Brymer said. Many children are still grieving, sometimes while facing added challenges such as moving to a different home or transferring to a new school with unfamiliar peers.

The CDC also reports that during the pandemic, 29% of U.S. high school students had a parent or caregiver who lost their job, 55% were emotionally abused by a parent or caregiver, and 11% were physically abused (Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey-United States, January-June 2021, CDC).

"Schools are crucial for keeping kids safe and connecting them with services, but the pandemic completely disrupted those kinds of supports," Brymer said.

Those extreme disruptions didn't affect all young people equally. Echoing pre-Covid-19 trends, the CDC also found that girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and those who have experienced racism were more likely to have poor mental health during the pandemic, said social psychologist Kathleen Ethier, PhD, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health.

Contributing factors likely include stigma, discrimination, and online bullying, Ethier said. Female students also report much higher levels of sexual violence than their male peers, which can further harm mental health.

As much hardship as Covid-19 wrought, it's far from the only factor contributing to the current crisis. Biology also appears to play a role. The age of puberty has been dropping for decades, especially in girls, likely leading to difficulty processing complex feelings and knowing what to do about them ( Eckert-Lind, C., et al., JAMA Pediatrics, Vol. 174, No. 4, 2020). In early puberty, regions of the brain linked to emotions and social behavior are developing more quickly than regions responsible for the cognitive control of behavior, such as the prefrontal cortex, Ethier said.

Those developmental changes drive young people to seek attention and approval from their peers. For some, using social media fulfills that need in a healthy way, providing opportunities for connection and validation to youth who may be isolated from peers, geographically or otherwise.

For others, negative messages-including online bullying and unrealistic standards around physical appearance-appear to have a detrimental effect, but more research is needed to understand who is most at risk.

"There is clearly some aspect of young people's online life that's contributing [to the mental health crisis], we just don't know exactly what that is," said Ethier.

Finally, structural factors that affect millions of U.S. children, including poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and lack of access to health care and educational opportunities, can lead to stress-response patterns that are known to underlie mental health challenges.

"Even in very young children, prolonged stress can trigger a cycle of emotion-regulation problems, which can in turn lead to anxiety, depression, and behavioral difficulties," Hoagwood said. "These things are well established, but we're not doing enough as a field to address them."

Building capacity in schools

The biggest challenge facing mental health care providers right now, experts say, is a shortage of providers trained to meet the mounting needs of children and adolescents.

"There's a growing recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health in young people's development, but that's happening just as mental health services are under extreme strain," said clinical psychologist Robin Gurwitch, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.

Schools, for example, are a key way to reach and help children-but a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that only about half of U.S. public schools offer mental health assessments and even fewer offer treatment services. Psychologists are now ramping up efforts to better equip schools to support student well-being onsite.

Much of that work involves changing policies at the school or district level to provide more support for all students. For example, school connectedness-the degree to which young people feel that adults and peers at school care about them and are invested in their success-is a key contributor to mental health. Youth who felt connected during middle and high school have fewer problems with substance use, mental health, suicidality, and risky sexual behavior as adults ( Steiner, R. J., et al., Pediatrics, Vol. 144, No. 1, 2019).

Through its What Works in Schools program, the CDC funds school districts to make changes that research shows foster school connectedness. Those include improving classroom management, implementing service-learning programs for students in their communities, bringing mentors from the community into schools, and making schools safer and more supportive for LGBTQ+ students.

Psychologists are also building training programs to help teachers and other school staff create supportive classrooms and aid students who are in distress. Classroom Wise (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network and the University of Maryland's National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), is a free, flexible online course and resource library that draws on psychological research on social-emotional learning, behavioral regulation, mental health literacy, trauma, and more ( Evidence-Based Components of Classroom Wise (PDF, 205KB), NCSMH, 2021).

"We're using evidence-based practices from child and adolescent mental health but making these strategies readily available for teachers to apply in the classroom," said clinical psychologist Nancy Lever, PhD, codirector of NCSMH, who helped develop Classroom Wise.

The course incorporates the voices of students and educators and teaches actionable strategies such as how to create rules and routines that make classrooms feel safe and how to model emotional self-regulation. The strategies can be used by anyone who interacts with students, from teachers and administrators to school nurses, coaches, and bus drivers.

"What we need is to build capacity through all of the systems that are part of children's lives-in families, in schools, in the education of everybody who interacts with children," said psychologist Ann Masten, PhD, a professor of child development at the University of Minnesota.

Other training efforts focus on the students themselves. Given that preteens and teenagers tend to seek support from their peers before turning to adults, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) created conversation cards to equip kids with basic skills for talking about suicide. The advice, available in English and Spanish, includes how to ask about suicidal thoughts, how to listen without judgment, and when to seek guidance from an adult ( Talking About Suicide With Friends and Peers, NCTSN, 2021).

While training people across the school population to spot and address mental health concerns can help reduce the strain on mental health professionals, there will always be a subset of students who need more specialized support.

Telehealth, nearly ubiquitous these days, is one of the best ways to do that. In South Carolina, psychologist Regan Stewart, PhD, and her colleagues colaunched the Telehealth Outreach Program at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2015. Today, nearly every school in the state has telehealth equipment (Wi-Fi and tablets or laptops that kids can use at school or take home) and access to providers (psychology and social work graduate students and clinicians trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy). Students who need services, which are free thanks to grant funding or covered by Medicaid, meet one-on-one with their clinician during the school day or after hours (American Psychologist, Vol. 75, No. 8, 2020).

"We learned a lot about the use of technology during the pandemic," Ethier said. "At this point, it's very much a matter of having sufficient resources so more school districts can access those sources of care."

Expanding the workforce

Limited resources are leaving families low on options, with some young people making multiple trips to the emergency room for mental health-related concerns or spending more than six months on a waiting list for mental health support. That points to a need for more trained emergency responders and psychiatric beds, psychologists say, but also for better upstream screening and prevention to reduce the need for intensive care.

"Just as we need more capacity for psychiatric emergencies in kids, we also need an infusion of knowledge and ordinary strategies to support mental health on the positive side," Masten said.

In New York, Hoagwood helped launch the state-funded Evidence Based Treatment Dissemination Center in 2006, which offers free training on evidence-based practices for trauma, behavioral and attention problems, anxiety, depression, and more to all mental health professionals who work with children in state-licensed programs, which include foster care, juvenile justice, and school settings, among others. The center provides training on a core set of tools known as PracticeWise ( Chorpita, B. F., & Daleiden E. L., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 77, No. 3, 2009). It also offers tailored training based on requests from community agency leaders and clinicians who provide services to children and their families.

Hoagwood, in collaboration with a consortium of family advocates, state officials, and researchers, also helped build and test a state-approved training model and credentialing program for family and youth peer advocates. The peer advocate programs help expand the mental health workforce while giving families access to peers who have similar lived experience ( Psychiatric Services, Vol. 71, No. 5, 2020).

Youth peer advocates are young adults who have personal experience with systems such as foster care, juvenile justice, or state psychiatric care. They work within care teams to provide basic education and emotional support to other youth, such as giving advice on what questions to ask a new mental health practitioner and explaining the differences between psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Youth peer advocates in New York can now receive college credit for their training in peer specialist work.

"Making community health work into a viable career can also increase diversity among mental health workers and help us address structural racism," Hoagwood said.

Pediatricians are another group that can provide a first line of defense, drawing on their relationships with parents to destigmatize mental health care.

"Pediatricians are in many ways uniquely positioned to help address the mental health crisis in youth," said Janine A. Rethy, MD, MPH, division chief of community pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "We have the privilege of building long-term relationships with children and their families over many years," with at least 12 well-child checkups in just the first three years of a child's life, followed by annual visits.

During these visits, they can watch for warning signs of social and behavioral problems and screen for maternal depression and other issues in parents, which is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (PDF, 660KB). Several new resources provide guidance for integrating mental health care into pediatric practices, including the Behavioral Health Integration Compendium (PDF, 4.1MB) and the Healthy Steps program. But most pediatricians need more education on mental health issues in order to effectively respond, Rethy said-yet another area where psychologists may be able to help. Psychologists can provide direct consultations and training to pediatricians through the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program.

"The more we can weave mental health knowledge, capacity, and checkpoints into places where parents feel comfortable-like the doctor's office and at school-the better," Masten said. "All professionals who work with young people really need the knowledge that's being generated by psychologists."

11 emerging trends for 2023

Further reading

Science shows how to protect kids' mental health, but it's being ignored
Prinstein, M., & Ethier, K. A., Scientific American, 2022

How pediatricians can help mitigate the mental health crisis
Rethy, J. A., & Chawla, E. M., Contemporary Pediatrics, 2022

Review: Structural racism, children's mental health service systems, and recommendations for policy and practice change
Alvarez, K., et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022

Six Things Psychologists are Talking About

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Kids' mental health is in crisis. Here's what psychologists are doing to help

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Research is focused on child and teen mental health, exploring why they are struggling and what can be done to help them

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This article titled “Childcare pick-up: A 1-hour window to build healthier eating habits” from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center presents research that has found the higher-calorie, less healthy snacks given to children after they are picked up from after-school care programs. The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center suggests using this after-school time to make small changes in snack choices that contain less sugar. They also suggest the importance of making these changes at the preschool age since younger children are in a habit-forming development period. The information presented in this article can be reinforced in the classroom by educators who also teach children about making good snack choices. Educators can teach children the importance of creating healthy habits that will enhance their health. It is essential for teachers to know about healthy eating because health can directly impact a student’s learning abilities. For students to get the most out of their learning experience, they must be healthy.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. (2024, April 30). Childcare pick-up: A 1-hour window to build healthier eating habits. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 15, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240430105522.htm

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Childcare pick-up: A 1-hour window to build healthier eating habits

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After-care food and drink accounted for about 22% of the day’s added sugar and about one-third of the sweet and salty snack foods the children ate, according to a new study.

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“Building health through physical activity in schools” by Branquinho, Forte, Ferraz, Teixeira, and Sortwell presents research that explains how physical activity improves student’s academic performance, social skills, and higher levels of self-esteem. Many children are not engaging in enough physical activity, even in school where there are barriers to physical activity opportunities. Schools are encouraged to reach beyond the mandated curriculum and provide more health enhancement opportunities such as physical education. The information in this article should encourage classroom teachers to provide more opportunities for physical activity through brain breaks or games. Teachers can use this information to advocate for their students and reconstruct their curriculum to be health-enhancing. Teachers should know about this topic to ensure that students are in good health so that they are ready to learn.

Branquinho L, Forte P, Ferraz R, Teixeira JE and Sortwell A (2024) Editorial: “Building” health through physical activity in schools. Front. Sports Act. Living 6:1359661. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1359661

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Citation numbers are available from Dimensions

EDITORIAL article

Front. Sports Act. Living , 18 January 2024

Sec. Physical Education and Pedagogy

This article is part of the Research Topic "Building" Health Through Physical Activity in Schools View all 8 articles

¹Agrarian School of Elvas, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal

²Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, Covilhã, Portugal

³Centro de Investigação do ISCE (CI-ISCE), Ramada, Portugal

⁴Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of the Douro, Penafiel, Portugal

⁵Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal

⁶Sport Sciences Department, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

⁷Sport Department, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Guarda, Portugal

⁸School of Health Sciences and Physiotherapy, University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Editorial on the Research Topic
"Building" health through physical activity in schools
Engaging in physical activity during childhood and adolescence is associated with improved physical and mental health ( 1, 2). Research has shown that physically active students exhibit better academic performance, a reduced likelihood of obesity, enhanced social skills, and higher levels of self-esteem. However, despite the many benefits of physical activity, many students do not engage in sufficient physical activity, and studies show that the levels of physical activity among children and adolescents have also decreased over time ( 3).

Most often, schools serve as more than just a centre for learning mandated curriculum ( 4). Within schools, the educators and the school communities also play a significant role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the learners, including supporting student participation in physical activity. However, in the school environment, barriers to physical activity include insufficient access to physical activity opportunities, limited time for recess, and lack of physical education, all of which can contribute to the problem of increased sedentary behaviours. In order to promote physical activity among students, it is important for schools to provide a variety of opportunities for physical activity and to make physical activity an integral part of the school day. Schools can take a proactive approach through curriculum, policies, and engagement with the school community to reverse the worsening trend of children and adolescents not meeting the recommended daily engagement of 60 min or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Schools are considered one of the preferred intervention environments by government health authorities for increasing daily physical activity. The influence of school experiences and the environment on growth development and health status later in life is well documented ( 5). Evidence suggests that attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours learned during these early years-for example, those relating to physical activity-track into adulthood ( 6). Promoting engagement in physical activity and providing daily opportunities during these early formative years are important. Recognising this has led to an interest in using schools to promote and support physical activity behaviours in children and adolescents. Children spend a large proportion of their time at school, and thus, schools have the potential to be a robust domain of influence on children's health. In addition, a strong link exists between children's health status and their learning capacity ( 7). Therefore, creating positive and healthy school environments can improve health, wellbeing, and academic achievement, while also reducing inequities.

Consequently, helping schools fulfil their role of promoting physical activity should be a public health priority. The whole-school approach to promoting physical activity involves a comprehensive approach beyond conventional physical education and sports. A whole-school approach to enhance student health through physical activity involves prioritising regular and high-quality physical education classes, organising weekly school sports, encouraging active classrooms, and promoting active travel (walk/cycle-to-school programmes) to and from school. These actions should be supported by school policies and involve the entire school community (staff, students, parents). A whole-school approach is characterised by its commitment to promoting physical activity within the curriculum, school life, and the local community, aiming to cultivate physically literate and active individuals for life.

Not all students necessarily have the same opportunities to build their health through physical activity. Students with a disability have lower levels of physical activity compared with their typically developing peers ( 8). Hence, it is important to provide children with disabilities the opportunity to be more involved in suitable physical activities and sports. This importance is reinforced by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the goal of ensuring inclusive and quality education for all by 2030 (SDG 4) ( 9). The SDGs, established in 2015, serve as a global call to action to address various issues, including promoting equality and emphasising the need for integrative and equal-quality education to create opportunities for lifelong learning. In the context of children with disabilities, inclusive sports and physical activities play a crucial role in achieving this goal. Moreover, quality education is recognised as central to the overall success of the 2030 agenda, as education is interconnected with various other goals related to ensuring a healthy life and promoting the wellbeing of all people at all ages. In this context, physical activities contribute to the health and wellbeing of individuals, including children with disabilities.

Throughout this research topic dedicated to constructivist forms of health promotion through physical activity in schools, it is once again evident the crucial role that physical education plays in the construction of a healthy future for our children. Reflecting on the importance of regular exercise in the school environment leads us to realise that investing in the promotion of physical activity is not only a preventive measure for children, but also an investment in the integral and structured development of students. As we join forces to integrate the culture of physical activity into everyday school life, we contribute not only to healthier bodies, but also to more attentive, resilient, and capable minds to face the challenges of life. We hope that the information gathered in this research topic will serve as a catalyst for the transformation of schools in environments that truly promote better physical and mental wellbeing, thus building a solid foundation for a healthier and more balanced society.

Author contributions

LB: Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. PF: Writing - review & editing. RF: Writing - review & editing. JT: Writing - review & editing. AS: Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing.

Acknowledgements

We appreciate the help of reviewers, editors, and Frontiers staff. Without their help, this research topic could not be accomplished.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

References

Keywords: physical education, healthy behaviours, pedagogy, active methodologies, motivation

Citation: Branquinho L, Forte P, Ferraz R, Teixeira JE and Sortwell A (2024) Editorial: "Building" health through physical activity in schools. Front. Sports Act. Living 6:1359661. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1359661

Received: 21 December 2023; Accepted: 8 January 2024;
Published: 18 January 2024.

Edited and Reviewed by: Richard Giulianotti, Loughborough University, United Kingdom

© 2024 Branquinho, Forte, Ferraz, Teixeira and Sortwell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Luís Branquinho luis_branquinho@outlook.pt

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Frontiers | Editorial: "Building" health through physical activity in schools

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Citation numbers are available from Dimensions Front. Sports Act. Living , 18 January 2024 Sec.

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“Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2023-2024” by O’Leary, et al. includes recommendations by The American Academy of Pediatrics for routine influenza vaccinations and the use of antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of influenza in children. Since children are at risk for hospitalization for influenza, they must get vaccinated to reduce the overall burden of respiratory illness in children. Children play a very important role in the transmission of influenza to household and other close contacts. This information pertains to teaching health in the classroom because teachers can relay this information to parents and families to protect students and staff members. Teachers can help children learn about this topic by teaching them what vaccines are and what role they play.

O’Leary, S. T., Campbell, J. D., Ardura, M. I., Banerjee, R., Bryant, K., Caserta, M. T., Frenck, R. W., Gerber, J. S., John, C. C., Kourtis, A. P., Myers, A., Pannaraj, P. S., Ratner, A. J., Shah, S. S., Bryant, K., Hofstetter, A. M., Chaparro, J. D., Michel, J. J., Kimberlin, D. W., & Barnett, E. D. (2023). Recommendations for prevention and control of influenza in children, 2023–2024. Pediatrics, 152(4). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-063772

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Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2023–2024

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This statement updates the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics for the routine use of influenza vaccine and antiviral medications in the prevention and treatment of influenza in children during the 2023–2024 influenza season. A detailed review of the evidence supporting these recommendations is published in the accompanying technical report (www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2023-063773). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends annual influenza vaccination of all children without medical contraindications starting at 6 months of age. Children are at risk for hospitalization and death from influenza. Influenza vaccination is an important strategy for protecting children and the broader community, as well as reducing the overall burden of respiratory illnesses when other viruses are cocirculating. Any licensed influenza vaccine appropriate for age and health status can be administered, ideally as soon as possible in the season, without preference for one product or formulation over another.Antiviral treatment of influenza is recommended for children with suspected (eg, influenza-like illness [fever with either cough or sore throat]) or confirmed influenza who are hospitalized, have severe or progressive disease, or have underlying conditions that increase their risk of complications of influenza, regardless of duration of illness. Antiviral treatment should be initiated as soon as possible. Antiviral treatment may be considered in the outpatient setting for symptomatic children with suspected or confirmed influenza disease who are not at high risk for influenza complications, if treatment can be initiated within 48 hours of illness onset. Antiviral treatment may also be considered for children with suspected or confirmed influenza disease whose siblings or household contacts either are younger than 6 months or have a high-risk condition that predisposes them to complications of influenza. Antiviral chemoprophylaxis is recommended for the prevention of influenza virus infection as an adjunct to vaccination in certain individuals, especially exposed children who are at high risk for influenza complications but have not yet been immunized or those who are not expected to mount an effective immune response.

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Safety and Preventing Unintentional Injury

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Safety and Preventing Unintentional Injury

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“Reducing unintentional injuries in children through prevention programming” by Radjewski discusses statistics that state that each year, more than 2,000 children 18 and under in southeast Michigan are hospitalized for preventable injuries (Radjewski, 2024). The Children’s Foundation supports car seat, burn, and poison safety partnerships with local hospitals improve the lives of children. The Children’s Foundation believes that every child deserves a healthy life and that injury prevention efforts will empower communities to keep kids safe. The information in this article can be addressed in the classroom by reviewing safety rules with children such as why it is important to always wear a seatbelt in the car. Teachers are responsible for student's safety in the classroom where unintentional injuries can occur, so it is important that they are aware of how to prevent unintentional injuries to ensure the safety of their kids.

Radjewski, K. (2024, June 4). Reducing unintentional injuries in children through prevention programming. Children’s Foundation. Retrieved from https://yourchildrensfoundation.org/2024/06/04/unintentional-injury-prevention/

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Reducing unintentional injuries in children through prevention programming

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Since 2022, The Children’s Foundation has awarded more than $280,000 to community partners that support programs that help reduce unintentional injuries and deaths in children.

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The Health and Economic Impact of Youth Violence by Injury Mechanism by Parker, Xu, D’Inverno, Haileyesus, and Peterson explains how violence is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among United States youth. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine aims to seek information on the mechanisms most frequently used to support the implementation of effective public health strategies. Research and data collected found that the lethality of assault of U.S. youth is high when a weapon is involved. This information pertains to teaching health to elementary students because it is the teacher’s job to ensure that students are safe at school and at home. Teachers need to be aware of violence that can occur at home because students may come to school exhibiting signs of violence or abuse. When teachers are knowledgeable, they can look for warning signs to ensure the safety of their students.

Parker, E., Xu, L., D’Inverno, A., Haileyesus, T., & Peterson, C. (2023, December 22). The Health and Economic Impact of Youth Violence by Injury Mechanism [Review of The Health and Economic Impact of Youth Violence by Injury Mechanism]. American Journal of Preventive Medicine; Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(23)00518-4/fulltext

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The article Protecting Children and Adolescents from Tobacco and Nicotine by Jenssen, et al. (American Academy of Pediatrics) explains the success of public policy actions in protecting children and adolescents from tobacco and nicotine use. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and death for adults in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics also suggests expanding effective public health approaches to include emerging tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and other products. The AAP has policy recommendations made through the use of an evidence-based approach. According to age groups, this information can be addressed in the classroom by teaching students what tobacco is and its health consequences.  Teachers need to be knowledgeable about this topic to ensure that their students make smart choices regarding their health, both inside and outside of school.

Jenssen, B. P., Walley, S. C., Boykan, R., Alice Little Caldwell, Deepa Camenga, Groner, J. A., Marbin, J. N., Mih, B., Rabinow, L., Blake, G. H., Smith, K. S., Baumberger, J. D., Gonzalez, L., Agarwal, R., Quigley, J., Zoucha, K., Walker-Harding, L., Kurien, C., Ba’Gah, R., & Jarrett, R. (2023). Protecting Children and Adolescents From Tobacco and Nicotine. Pediatrics, 151(5). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-061804

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Protecting Children and Adolescents From Tobacco and Nicotine

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Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death for adults in the United States. Significant strides have been made in reducing rates of cigarette smoking among adolescents in the United States. However, rates of e-cigarette and similar device use among youth are high, and rates of other tobacco product use, such as cigars and hookahs, have not declined. Public policy actions to protect children and adolescents from tobacco and nicotine use, as well as tobacco smoke and aerosol exposure, have proven effective in reducing harm. Effective public health approaches need to be both extended to include e-cigarettes, similar devices, and other and emerging tobacco products and expanded to reduce the toll that the tobacco epidemic takes on children and adolescents.

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The article Psychologists are innovating to tackle substance use by building new alliances in treatment efforts by Heather Stringer discusses the concern for the latest trends of drug overdoses, and the prevalence of fentanyl being mixed in other substances. Psychologists are attempting to combat this problem by forming new alliances, providing new novel medications for withdrawal, and monetary incentives for sobriety. Psychologists are also working with researchers to identify underlying psychological and social conditions that relate to problematic drug use. The argument is made that many psychologists lack training in medicine, and are treating mental health conditions rather than treating substance use disorders. This information pertains to teaching elementary students about health because many students are affected by problematic drug use in their communities outside of school. It is essential for teachers to know about this topic because they can intervene if a child is exhibiting signs of being affected by drug use at home.

Stringer, H. (2024). Psychologists are innovating to tackle substance use by building new alliances in treatment efforts. Apa.org. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/01/trends-psychologists-tackling-substance-use

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Psychologists are innovating to tackle substance use by building new alliances in treatment efforts

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New interventions are improving chances of recovery from addictions.