Health Annotations by Abigail Martin

Mental and Emotional Health

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:17:34 UTC

This article on the correlation between mental health and academic performance from Independent School Management discusses the negative impact mental health problems can have on students’ academic performance. According to this article, over 50% of students at every high school level identify depression, anxiety, and stress as obstacles to learning. Mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem can cause students to have difficulty focusing on school and remaining engaged in class. This in turn leads to absences, difficulties making friends, inability to learn or complete work, and poor grades. This article stresses the importance of schools working to find solutions to this problem. Some solutions are teachers accommodating struggling students and schools training staff to learn how to support students who are dealing with mental health problems. Teachers should be aware of the effects of mental health issues could have on their students so that they can implement strategies in their classrooms and ensure they are supporting their students in the best way they can. Schools and teachers should also make sure they have appropriate resources and strategies to support their student's mental health so that students can learn to the best of their ability and focus on school.

Understanding the Impact of Mental Health on Academic Performance. (2023, February 12). Independent School Management. Retrieved from https://isminc.com/advisory/publications/the-source/understanding-impact-mental-health-academic-performance

Healthy Eating

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:18:59 UTC

This article from U.S. News on services in schools to support healthy eating discusses the new nutrition guidelines introduced by the Biden Administration in April. These new nutrition guidelines mean the meals served in schools must contain less sodium and sugar. While these new guidelines are an attempt to combat childhood obesity, some school nutrition directors worry that this will not be an effective solution. These guidelines create stricter menu options for schools which might lead to students choosing less healthy food options and more food waste. They also argue that labor shortages and inflated prices on food might make it difficult to implement this new strategy. It’s important for teachers to be aware of the nutrition guidelines being implemented in schools so they can ensure their students are eating healthily. It’s also important, however, that they are able to recognize if the nutrition guidelines implemented in their schools are positively or negatively impacting their students’ diets and eating habits. If students are not eating enough or not eating what they should be, this can affect their learning, so teachers should make sure they are teaching healthy eating habits and also making sure their students' hunger is being satisfied.

Valdmanis, R. (2024, April 24). Biden Administration Toughens School Nutrition Standards. U.S. News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2024-04-24/biden-administration-toughens-school-nutrition-standards

Physical Activity

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:19:40 UTC

This article from The New York Times on physical exercise discusses how physical fitness can lead to better mental health in children. A study discussed in this article found that physical activity and exercise can protect children from developing depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Children who are more fit and physically active have a smaller chance of developing mental health disorders. The link between physical fitness and mental health shows that children should be active and participate in physical exercises. Teachers have the opportunity to incorporate movement and physical activities in their classrooms. By including brain breaks, physical activities, and movement in the classroom, teachers can promote better mental health in their students and increase their wellbeing.

Richtel, M. (2024, April 29). Physical Fitness Linked to Better Mental Health in Young People. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/health/adolescents-exercise-mental-health.html

Safety and Preventing Unintentional Injury

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:20:05 UTC

This article from CBS News on school bus safety discusses a new AI software that is working to promote school bus safety. This software, called Samsara, has cameras that contain AI technology that can detect unsafe errors. According to the article, between 2016 and 2020 there were almost 2,800 school bus crashes in Minnesota. This alarming statistic proves the need for promoting school bus safety. While this might not have a direct impact on teachers in their classroom, it is important for them to raise awareness for school bus safety and promote new technology such as Samsara that can help to protect their students. Teachers should also be aware of the statistics behind school bus injuries and crashes so that they can discuss safe school bus practices with their students and the families of their students.

Ali, U. (2024, September 12). Artificial intelligence working to make school buses safer. CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/school-bus-safety-samsara-technology/

Intentional Injury and Violence

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:20:28 UTC

This article on abuse and neglect from Verywellmind discusses how childhood emotional abuse can alter brain structure. This article found that around 14% of Americans report having experienced emotional abuse or neglect during childhood. Prolonged experiences of emotional abuse have been found to negatively affect areas of the brain such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the cerebellum. Additionally, the impacts of emotional abuse can affect children’s behavior and emotional and social well-being and lead to mental health problems in adults. It’s important for teachers to get to know their students and be able to recognize the possible signs of emotional abuse in their students. Students who experience emotional abuse may struggle with learning or exhibit unwanted behaviors. It’s important for teachers to be aware of the statistics behind children experiencing emotional abuse and neglect so that they know to look for it in their students and learn how to best support their students who may experience it.

Holmes, L. (2024, March 10). How Emotional Abuse in Childhood Changes the Brain. Verywellmind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/childhood-abuse-changes-the-brain-2330401

Preventing Alcohol and Drug Use

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:20:53 UTC

This article from The Bulletin on community and school efforts to curtail alcohol and drug use discusses a grant the Norwich Prevention Council has received from the federal Drug-Free Communities Grant to support youth who struggle with substance use. The organizations who receive these funds will work towards supporting struggling youth and provide youth with drug-free social environments. The Prevention Council has previously and will continue to partner with schools through promoting social-emotional learning, drug education for fourth and fifth graders, and middle school health presentations. This Council works towards raising awareness about preventing underage substance use and providing resources and information for youth struggling with substance use. These types of organizations are especially important for schools to be aware of so they can partner with them to prevent underage substance use in their students. Many students are exposed to drug and alcohol use from a young age, and if teachers are aware of the problem of underage substance use and how to prevent it, they can be proactive about teaching and raising awareness on substance use as early as fourth grade and middle school.

Grahn, M. (2024, September 12). Working hard to prevent youth substance abuse: Norwich group gets $625K federal grant. The Bulletin. Retrieved from https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/local/2024/09/12/norwich-ct-prevention-council-drug-free-communities-grant-student-mental-health/75163038007/

Trauma

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:21:09 UTC

This article from BBC on the types of trauma children and families may experience discusses the increasing prevalence of trauma from war in children and adults. This article says that the number of children worldwide living in active war zones has doubled since the mid-1990s. Experiencing traumatic war events can reroute a child’s nervous system, impact their mental health, and potentially lead to PTSD. However, this article discusses the resilience of young children and how with the right support, they can bounce back from these traumatic experiences. Many teachers may have students in their classrooms who have immigrated from areas where there were active war zones. They could have students who have experienced trauma from war which could negatively impact them in school. Teachers should be aware of the increasing number of children who live in active war zones and the growing possibility of having students who have experienced trauma from war so that they can educate themselves on how to support these students.

Ruggeri, A. (2024, February 21). Many children must live with the trauma of war. Here’s how to help them. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240220-ukraine-and-gaza-the-hidden-effects-of-war-trauma-on-children

Personal Health and Wellness

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 17:21:27 UTC

This article from NBC News on sleep and rest disucsses the possible correlation between lack of sleep and higher blood pressure. This article discusses that many children and teens do not get enough sleep with as many as a third of elementary aged kids not getting an adequate amount of sleep. This lack of sleep in children and teens can potentially lead to hypertension which can lead to the risk of developing heart disease later in life. This article points out that parents should limit their children’s screen time before bed to help combat this problem. Lack of sleep can negatively impact students in school and teachers should be aware of this problem so that they can promote positive sleeping habits. If teachers teach their students about healthy sleeping habits and teach wind-down routines in their classroom, it can help children get better sleep and therefore promote their focus and learning in school.

Carroll, L. (2024, June 18). Lack of sleep linked to high blood pressure in children and teens. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/lack-sleep-linked-high-blood-pressure-children-teens-new-research-find-rcna157561

Topics

am1014828 — 2024-09-13 18:13:26 UTC