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youngpeopleshealth.uk Dr Aidan Macfarlane

www.youngpeopleshealth.org.uk Dr Aidan Macfarlane. Dr Aidan Macfarlane. FRCP, FRCPCH, FCPH. Lifelong interest in adolescent health especially because society and media seems to give them such a negative image Founder member and secretary of the Association of Young People’s Health

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youngpeopleshealth.uk Dr Aidan Macfarlane

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  1. www.youngpeopleshealth.org.uk Dr Aidan Macfarlane

  2. Dr Aidan Macfarlane. FRCP, FRCPCH, FCPH • Lifelong interest in adolescent health especially because society and media seems to give them such a negative image • Founder member and secretary of the Association of Young People’s Health • Helps run www.teenagehealthfreak.org and www.youthhealthtalk.org – both aimed at providing health information for young people themselves. • Founder member of www.euteach.com (European training in effective adolescent care and health)

  3. Introduction • Brief introduction to AYPH • What is adolescent health? • What help do young people want with their health and want are the barriers? • What are the benefits of engaging YP with their own health? • You’re Welcome • Training for health professionals.

  4. AYPH Background Young people have a right to good health. AYPH brings together professionals and organisations working to improve young people’s health and well-being. By sharing learning and best practice we can promote and provide better services to meet young people’s particular health needs. It is essentially a multidisciplinary organisation providing a network of support for organisations and individuals. The work of the Association ranges from creating quarterly research updates for members to running events on different aspects of Young People’s health – we have a stand here for more information.

  5. Research updates

  6. What is adolescent health? • ‘Adolescent/young person/teenager’ is from the beginning of their 10th year to the end of their 19th year. • ‘Health’ is ‘the ability to resist the strains and stresses of a physical, mental and social nature, so that they do not lead to a reduction in life-span, function or well-being’

  7. What is adolescent health? Adolescence represents a unique period in the life cycle that brings special challenges and opportunities. No longer children and not yet adults, adolescents make significant choices about their health and develop attitudes and health practices that continue into adulthood......

  8. What young people say about their lives • ‘The best thing about being a teenager is being independent if I want to be but always being able to come back home when I want to.’ •   ‘I definitely think that the kind of society that I am growing up in is different from that of my parents’ •  ‘I’m absolutely don’t think that parents know what we get up to at our age’ • ‘We don’t ‘risk take’ – we explore what life has to offer and learn by experience – I hope!’

  9. What are the benefits of engaging young people with their own health? On surveys of young people’s health – What young people health worries are: body odour, self esteem, spots, nutrition and diet etc Tend to be slightly different than those of the medical profession: mental health, drugs, alcohol, obesity etc. It is essential therefore that we understand the health needs and worries of young people from their point of view

  10. What help do young people want with their health and what are the barriers. • Confidentiality is of paramount concern to young people. Lack of perceived confidentiality is a major barrier to accessing information that they need • Reliability of health information is vital • They want to get information about different aspects of their health from different sources • They want health information that is individualised to their needs and is available when they want and need it.

  11. You’re welcome The DH ‘Your Welcome’ quality criteria for health services for young people cover nine areas: • Accessibility • Publicity • Confidentiality and consent • The environment • Staff training, skills, attitude and values • Joined up working • Monitoring and evaluation • Health issues for adolescents • Sexual health services

  12. The role of health professionals Being well informed concerning young people’s health needs as perceived by young people themselves Carrying out research relevant to the health needs of young people Coordinating appropriate delivery of health services to young people where ever young people seek it Ensuring confidentiality Being well informed about ‘consent’ issues Continuing to support parents in their role as primary health care givers to young people

  13. Conclusion – the future Improving young people’s health is key to long – term health prevention agendas. AYPH will do this by: • Ensuring that the voice of young people- concerning their health needs - is heard • Helping coordinate services for young people between health, social services, education, youth justice, etc by providing a network of support for organisations and individuals. • Highlighting the most essential research areas • Raising the political profile of young people’s health • Improving the training of all professionals concerned in any way with the health of young people

  14. Thank you • Check out the following websites: www.youngpeopleshealth.org.uk • www.teenagehealthfreak.org • www.youthhealthtalk.org • www.euteach.com

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