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Health Information for Kids, Teens and Seniors, Oh My!. Kelli Ham, MLIS Consumer Health Coordinator NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region An Infopeople Webinar October 28, 2008 12pm-1pm.
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Health Information for Kids, Teens and Seniors, Oh My! Kelli Ham, MLIS Consumer Health Coordinator NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region An Infopeople Webinar October 28, 2008 12pm-1pm Infopeople webcasts are supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
Objectives Attendees will be able to • understand the different health information needs of children, teens and older adults • refer users to quality age-appropriate health resources • provide health programming of interest to users at various life stages • engage community partners to enhance services
Health Information for Young People Young people have health information needs, but they may not think of it in those terms.
Information-seeking Behavior • Young children rely on trusted adults for information • Older kids more likely to ask friends rather than an adult • Teens more likely to go online or look up information on their own • Often tech-savvy, but not about evaluating quality of health information on the web
What is on their Minds?(The Short List.) • Young children • body parts, pooping and peeing • Grade school • body fluids (barf, snot, sweat) • Tweens • puberty! • Teens • acne, dieting, sex (not necessarily in that order)
What Do They Actually Ask? • Poll: Do you serve young patrons? If so, please describe one or two health-related requests you’ve received. What are some challenges in serving young users?
The Good News Lots of quality content for all ages Interactive websites Great opportunities for librarians to teach The Bad News Lots of bad content Kids lack evaluation skills Few opportunities to learn best resources on their own Kid’s Health Info on the Web
Great Online Starting Points KidsHealth.orgA health site for kids, teens and parents, including a teachers’ section with lesson plans for different ages and grades. BAM!This site from the CDC is for kids 9-13 years old. The Teacher’s Corner includes activities and guides on health topics. YuckyFrom Discovery Health for Kids, the Gross & Cool Body site is an interactive, fun and informative site on things like “Pimples, burps, farts and funnybones.” That says it all!
Kids Health kidshealth.org
KidsHealth Game Closet Experiments and games offer plenty of ideas for fun activities
BAM! Body and Mind from the CDC BAM! Classroom has numerous activities of interest to kids and teens bam.gov
Yucky from Discovery Kids yucky.discovery.com
Additional Kid-Friendly Sites • girlshealth.gov • mypyramid.gov/kids • toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/ • MedlinePlus Childrens’ and Teens’ pages
All about Girls Health For girls 10-16 years old girlshealth.gov
ToxMystery for Children Ages 7-10 Years toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov
Environmental Health and Genetics For older students: • ToxTown • Genetics Home Reference
Tox TownResource about environmental hazards in common places toxtown.nlm.nih.gov
Genetics Home ReferenceUser-friendly site to help understand genetics ghr.nlm.nih.gov
Young people like to have fun while learning prefer activities (not passivities) like teaching or learning from other kids enjoy creating the content or planning the activity want to use technology In General… The trick is tying it together with health as the program idea.
FACT: Health topics are inherently dull, boring, or embarrassing So how do you make it fun? • Wacky titles already in your collection • Utilize the web – games, quizzes • Use technology whenever possible • Involve your young patrons – ask them!
What Works in your Library? • Story time for the very young • Demonstrations and hands-on experiments • Games, activities, scavenger hunts • Technology • online interactive resources • Wii Fit; Dance, Dance Revolution
Use Popular Titles for Storytime Ideas or Fun Activities for Older Kids
Reaching Teens through Technology Hold training classes geared to kids & teens!
Consider This… • Content created by and for teens, kids • health topic pathfinders • podcasts • video tutorials • peer tutor programs • Jeopardy-type quiz shows, games in PowerPoint
Partnership Ideas • Schools • Librarian, instructional media staff, school nurse • Hospitals • Librarian, pediatrics staff, patient education dept. • Youth organizations • Boys and Girls Clubs, Scouts • Fitness programs like Students Run LA • Peer tutoring programs* *High school peer tutors teach MedlinePlus: a model for Hispanic outreach J Med Libr Assoc. 2005 April; 93(2): 243–252.
Health Information for Older Adults Good health information is needed at every stage, from the Boomer generation to the elderly
They… want quality information appreciate help with technology are likely to have more health issues and concerns What Appeals to Older Adults?
Common Themes for Older Adults What are some common themes or issues for health-related questions from older adults in your setting?
Information Needs of Seniors TOPIC MEETING THE NEED Diseases and conditions Wellness and prevention Alternative therapies Healthy aging Medicare and insurance Caregiving, end-of-life Books, print materials Videos, DVDs Appropriate websites Directories of services Targeted programs Computer training
Trends in Information-seeking Behavior Ranges from traditional to high-tech
Seniors and Health Information • Becoming more proactive about their health • Willing to seek second opinion (which may be why they are at the library!) • Becoming more tech-savvy (but not always) • Some will still prefer print or media resources • Older seniors more likely to trust doctor’s advice
Best Starting Places • NIHSeniorHealth • nihseniorhealth.gov • MedlinePlus • medlineplus.gov • National Institute on Aging • nia.nih.gov
NIHSeniorHealthDesigned especially for older adults nihseniorhealth.gov
MedlinePlus medlineplus.gov
National Institute on Aging nia.nih.gov
Benefits and Insurance Programs • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services • cms.hhs.gov • GovBenefits • govbenefits.gov • Benefits Checkup • benefitscheckup.org
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cms.hhs.gov