Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Starts at an Early Age

In our first class meeting, Northeast District Health Director Dr. Claude Burnett stressed that combating teen pregnancy was crucial in the battle to end the cycle of poverty in this area. This thought has resonated with me for more than a month, and over the next few weeks, I will discuss the impact of teenage pregnancy, relaying some personal anecdotes along the way.

Last spring, I wrote a series of pieces for the Barrow County News examining the issue of teenage pregnancy. Through the series, I noticed an interesting paradox: parents realize the importance of sex education and providing birth control to sexually active teens but don't want to give them "mixed messages" by encouraging abstinence while providing condoms. This observation seemed to be supported by the random telephone survey conducted by the Northeast Health District, which said that while 71 percent of Georgians supported providing condoms to sexually active teens, only 31 percent of Georgians felt that their community would support such an initiative.

In addition, I noticed that parents continue to rely on the school system and on occasion the church to deliver sexual education to their kids. My interviews of area residents supported my own personal experience. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, sex was a taboo topic in my household. I can only remember one "sex" talk from my mom, and it centered only on menstruation. Unfortunately, I was a shy child and didn't inquire a lot about it; thus, I gained much of my knowledge about sex from the media (scary, I know).

Based on my personal experience, as well as anecdotes gained as a reporter, I believe that this lack of parent/child interaction about sex is pretty common in this region. I think it has something to do with cultural norms that still linger ("sex talk"=taboo topic). Parents are just plain scared and uncomfortable with talking to their kids about sex. At an early age, we're taught to use inappropriate lingo for our sexual anatomy and, in some cases, that sex is bad. Children can sense when a parent is uncomfortable, and some kids will avoid asking inherent questions about sex because of it, choosing instead to find the answers through other means (i.e., school, church, the media, peers, etc.).

By avoiding or sidestepping conversations about sex (or even worse providing misinformation such as the "stork story"), parents are contributing to the cycle of teenage pregnancy and perhaps to the greater cycle of poverty within this region. My advice: parents need to get over it. They need to realize that talking to kids about sex is no different than talking to kids about drugs or smoking. Giving kids answers allows them to make informed decisions in their life. That said, I was pleased to see that there's a growing body of children's literature devoted to helping kids and parents talk about sex.

However, these books are only helpful if parents use them. Parents need to realize that they are the first step to breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy. In my next blog, I will consider how teenage pregnancy contributes to the cycle of poverty.

Bullying scars can last for years

A recent study in Pediatrics Journal revealed that emotional and psychological scars of bullying can last long after the tormenting stops. I didn't need a study to tell me that though. As a child, I experienced bullying firsthand and still struggle with self-confidence issues associated with it. Let me explain.

I've always been what some would term a school nerd--this is a fact that I've learned to embrace (after all, I'm what my mom calls a career student). Early on, I'll have to admit that I was somewhat of a goodie-goodie, too, though somewhere along the way I've lost that label. Combine these two personality traits and the tendency to be unassertive (i.e. not stick up for oneself), and I was the perfect candidate for bullies lurking around the halls of my Christian school (I know the irony here, but I'll get to that later). Some of my earliest school memories are of a snobby, little girl (think Nellie Olsen on Little House on the Prairie) who would step on my fingers at recess and try to take my lunch candy and pocket change.

Though it doesn't sound particularly traumatic, it was. I struggled to learn how to stick up for myself, but the pattern continued into middle school. Though I didn't experience constant bullying, I did experience incidents of bullying. I would gain some confidence then it would be squashed by these mean little devils that seemed to have radar for kids, like me, that lacked assertiveness.

Then came high school. The small, private Christian school lacked a diverse groups of students (what some people might call a variety of cliques), and as a smart, average athlete that didn't drink or smoke, I struggled to fit in with the cooler kids. For awhile I would fit in, and then they would inexplicably turn on me. I had friends but they didn't have the confidence to stand up for me and risk the teasing (I can't say I blame them).

Don't worry my story has a happy ending.

After a particularly bad case of bullying in eleventh grade (that I don't care to expound upon), my parents agreed to let me attend public school.

I found a more accepting group of kids at my new school and slowly my confidence re-emerged. Somewhere along the way, I gained an assertive attitude (my husband claims that I'm too assertive now). As I said, my battle scars still linger. At times, I've struggled with confidence issues, some more than others. I tell this story not to gain your pity, but to put a face with the study.

National Childhood Mental Health Trends: What to Make of a Complex Situation

Over the last ten days, several studies have examined complex national trends in children's mental health. It seems that an eight percent spike in adolescent suicides has reinvigorated a debate about the safety of antidepressants within the mental health professionals community. The report in the September issue of the American Journal of Psychology suggested a correlation between increases in suicides and government warnings of the late 1990s that questioned the safety of prescribing antidepressants to America's youth. Since the release of the study, other mental health experts have questioned the study's validity, arguing that it oversimplifies a complex national trend. Regardless of the reason of the suicide hikes, the study does reveal a perplexing trend: a sharp increase in suicides in preteen girls by hanging.

In related news, another study revealed that the number of adolescents treated for bi-polar disorder (once known as manic depression) has nearly doubled in the last decade (click here to read a provocative series with about children with mental illness).

While both studies are somewhat troubling, as a journalist, it's interesting to examining how they were covered. Regarding the first case, the New York Times and many other national outlets reported that increases in suicide rates might be related to government warnings that began appearing on antidepressants to warn consumers that these drugs might actually increase rates of suicide in youth. This week, the New York Times responsibly reported concerns about the study's validity with in the mental health community. In the latter example, it's interesting to look at the New York Time's coverage compared to the LA Time's coverage. Both reports noted that the increase may be due to more diagnoses not cases; however, the LA Time's coverage seemed more quick to label it over-diagnosis of an illness (a la ADHD in the 1990s) that was once thought to occur primarily in a patient's early 20s (i.e. in the headline and nut graph). Also, interesting was the New York Time's note that the onslaught of bipolar diagnoses, which require expensive medication, was a boon to pharmaceutical companies. As I mentioned, it's important to critically examine this pieces. I think that journalists need to remember that mental health disorders, especially bi-polarism, are extremely difficult to diagnose. It's more subjective than diagnosing heart disease or cancer.

In any case, both studies are disturbing, especially the suicide spike in preteen girls. Are we putting too much pressure on young girls to be beautiful like movie stars while juggling insane schedules that include sports teams, music lessons and most importantly getting good grades? Do kids need to have more time to just be kids?

Food for Thought

Childhood obesity stole headlines yet again this week: from a study that gestational diabetes is linked to early childhood obesity to news of a national trend to minimize or eliminate junk food in schools (thank God)! In addition, new studies suggest that those nasty sugars and preservatives in everyday foods are linked not just to hypertension but also to hyperactivity and rotting teeth (surprise, surprise).
Just a few quick thoughts from me on the matter...perhaps it's because I'm reading Fast-Food Nation for the second time but obviously obesity and particularly childhood obesity has been on my mind lately....I often ask myself why is the childhood obesity epidemic surfacing now? I posed this question to Jennifer Burnell, a nutrition education and fitness specialist with the Athens Regional Medical Center, today. Since great minds obviously think alike, we had similar thoughts on the issue. "There’s no one thing that we can pinpoint that is the ultimate cause of epidemic," she said. "Several factors are involved." She cited family lifestyle changes (i.e. eating more fast food, known for large portions and poor nutritional content, and less structured family meals) and greater periods of inactivity in childhood (i.e. more "tube or screen time" at home and less opportunities for physical activity in schools). Since I liked her reasoning here, I asked her the million dollar question, "what can we do about it?" She encouraged parents to be healthy role models for kids (chunking the "do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do approach out the window). "The ultimate parent role is to provide proper portions of healthy foods," she said. "Allow kids to make healthy choices (such as knowing when to stop eating)." Burnell begs parents to nix the clean-your-plate rule. It sounds as if someone on high is finally listening to experts like Burnell (see school story above). Now if we can just figure out a way to stop craving those McDonald's french fries.

Up next: Children and Mental Illness

¿Cómo se dice...Translators Needed in the Nurse's Office

Over the last 24-hours, I keep remembering a particularly cool winter morning when I encountered my mentee Adella. As I rounded the corner of the chilled school halls and entered the first-grade classroom, I heard a hacking, wheezing cough. To be honest, part of my mind said turn around before illness invades your body, but then I saw my normally jubilant mentee slumped in the back of the classroom. Poor Adella, I thought, as she looked up and a smile crossed her face just under her runny nose. Already plagued by a string of absences, a language barrier and lackluster grades, Adella didn't need this lingering bronchitis-like condition, which promised to leave her further behind her classmates. Just before recess, she peered into her bag along the cubby holes and pulled out a box of medicine. Moments later, Ms. Snow reached over Adella's shoulders and confiscated the contents of the box. "You need to see the nurse before taking medicine at school," she said. Walking by Adella's side to the nurse's office, I grew more worried about her persistent cough. Soon my worry turned into a horrified feeling of frustration. The school nurse took the medicine from Adella. She said that in order to administer the medicine a signed note must be in her file. Of course, I thought, this makes sense to me. When the necessary paper work was not located, the nurse attempted to call Adella's mother. "May I speak to Ms. Rodriguez," she said. "um, um...¿Cómo se dice...? I'll have to give you a call back." Slamming the phone down, the obviously frustrated nurse attempted to compose herself and explain the adult situation to Adella. While she proceeded to explain why Adella couldn't take her medicine at school, I was appalled at the utter communication breakdown that prevented a child from taking necessary medication. As I remember this episode, I am reminded again and again of the need for translators in our school systems. What if Adella's persistent cough had been something even worse? Every school in America should have access to a translator for instances such as this; otherwise, we are providing a great disservice to our children.
Up Next: Roessner's weekly health update, available this weekend.