1.11 Role transitions: education and employment

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From the course by The University of Melbourne

Global Adolescent Health

36 оценки

The University of Melbourne

Global Adolescent Health

36 оценки

This course will explore the dynamic factors affecting the health and wellbeing of young people around the world, and how important it is for individuals, communities and nations that we improve the health and life chances of this important population group. With over 25% of the world’s population aged between 10 and 24 years, today’s generation of young people is the largest in human history. As the future leaders and drivers of growth, productivity and innovation, young people are our greatest assets, and investment in their health and wellbeing has social, economic and other benefits that continue across the lifespan and into the next generation. In this course we will adopt a life-course framework to take a holistic view of youth health and wellbeing. We will explore changing patterns of adolescent health and development, including why adolescence is starting earlier and ending later; how puberty and adolescent brain development may shape future health; and how what happens in adolescence can affect the start to life for the next generation. We’ll also look at the major health and social issues affecting young people and ways of addressing these through policy, practice and programming. COURSE FORMAT: This course comprises short video lectures and interviews, required and recommended readings, online discussion, quizzes and written assignments. There is no required text for this course and all readings are provided. DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS COURSE? No- you may access 100% of material in this course for free. You are also welcome to do as much or as little of the course as you like, including all (or none!) of the assessment tasks- it all depends on your learning goals. The option to pay for this course is there for those who wish to receive a Course Certificate as evidence of completion (which does require you to attempt and successfully pass the assessment tasks). WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR? This course will be relevant for anyone with an interest in the health and wellbeing of young people. You do not need to be of any particular personal or professional background to benefit from this course, but having some basic undergraduate study experience will be helpful to your learning (particularly if in a health related field). WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING I'LL LEARN IF I TAKE THIS COURSE? You’ll learn how so much of what happens during adolescence can impact not only the future health of individuals, but the health of the next generation as well. You’ll develop a greater understanding of the key factors impacting upon youth health and learn how to be a better advocate for the health and wellbeing of young people. View the MOOC promotional video here: http://tinyurl.com/z5l4mod

From the lesson

Week 1 - Introduction to adolescent health: developmental and ecological perspectives (Part I)

Welcome! Before getting started on this week’s content, be sure to review the materials under the ‘Introduction’ section below to help you get the most out of this course, whatever your learning goals may be. <br><br>This week we set the scene for adolescent health as a critical area of human health and development. We introduce the conceptual framework used throughout the course, which will assist greatly in building your learning across each week of material. We discuss different definitions of adolescence and young adulthood, and explore how the biological and social transitions associated with this period of life- and our understanding of them- have changed over time.

Week 1-2 Briefing with Susan Sawyer5:41

1.1 Introduction: why adolescent health?7:02

1.2 A conceptual framework for adolescent health14:42

1.3 Definitions of adolescence9:37

1.4 The changing shape of adolescence8:17

1.5 Puberty and adolescent growth6:27

1.6 Growth including brain development in adolescence7:21

1.7 Puberty and health: part I3:40

1.8 Puberty and health: part II7:26

1.9 Role transitions: marriage and parenthood7:21

1.10 Role transitions: contraceptives and condom use5:45

1.11 Role transitions: education and employment7:37

Interview with Dr Judith Diers (USA) 16:10

Meet the Instructors

Professor Susan Sawyer
Chair of Adolescent Health
Department of Paediatrics
Professor George Patton
Professorial Fellow
Adolescent Health Research

The biggest investment that any country makes in children and

young people is in education.

It's also one of the most important investments in international development.

With wide ranging benefits, in terms of later quality of life, labor force,

skills, economic productivity, and their capacity to parent the next generation.

It also has profound effects on health,

both during the adolescent years, but also in later life.

The major educational focus in the millennium development goals, or

the MDGs, which you may recall from discussion earlier this week,

was on the primary school years.

Yet there has been substantial progress in school attendance across

the adolescent and secondary school years.

Across the globe, rates of school attendance in younger

adolescents have generally increased, but the progress has been uneven.

This graph is from UNESCO data.

And, illustrates trends

over the twelve years from the turn of the millennium in the number

of younger adolescents, aged ten to 14, who are not attending school.

There are marked differences between regions.

Despite retention in primary school being a millennium development goal, and

education of girls an international development priority,

the number of adolescents out of school in sub-Saharan Africa

has changed little during this time.

In contrast, in south and west Asia,

there's been substantial progress with rates of girls out of school.

More than 40% lower in little more than a decade.

In other low and middle income countries, progress has been exceptional.

With rates of younger adolescents out of school falling to well

under half of what they were over the same period of time.

So, I've said that education matters for health in many ways.

But, how does this come about?

Why is it that these young people pictured here are likely to have

better health than young people not in school?

Not only during the adolescent years, but all the way through life.

There are a range of mechanisms that we think are important.

Those who have been through school have better access to health information, and

also to knowledge and

skills to access that information around health later in life.

Those who have been to school are likely to have better employment prospects.

Unemployment has disastrous effects on health.

And, these young people are likely to get better jobs, that carry fewer health risks

then those that did not have the opportunities for secondary education.

Those who have been through education have both a different peer group, and

different marriage prospects.

This is also likely to be important in terms of health, and

health related behaviours.

And, we'll talk more about that in a later lecture.

Lastly, those who've been through schools have in many places better

earning prospects.

Income buys access to health care, that the poor may not be able to afford.

In summary, all of these factors lead not only to different attitudes to health,

but greater access to resources that underpin health.

Differences in educational attainment is a factor underlying the differences in

non-communicable diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Tobacco use is an example of a health risk that for

the great majority arises during adolescence.

The association between educational attainment and

tobacco use in adulthood is evident in this figure.

Those who reach higher levels of education

are less likely to start in the first place, and

they're more likely to have the resources to quit if they had been smokers.

The association between the rate of young adolescent girls who are out of school,

and the adolescent birth rate is also very clear.

It's clear in every region.

In the high income countries,

shown here in blue of western Europe, adolescent birth rates are low.

But still,

there is an association with the proportion of girls who are out of school.

In the Asian countries shown here in green, there's almost a linear association

between teenage fertility and rates of girls out of school.

And, as we've seen, in Sub-Saharan Africa,

the region with the highest teenage fertility rates, again,

we see an almost linear relationship, with the highest rates of teenage birth.

In those countries where you have the highest rates of girls out of school.

Being out of school is associated not just with early pregnancy and early marriage,

but also with engagement in occupations and

illegal activities that further risk health and well-being.

It might be a young sex worker who is at risk of sexually transmitted infection,

HIV, substance abuse, mental health problems.

There are further risks that come from being in juvenile detention.

For young males, it might be a young male that's dropped out of school and

engaged in the illicit drug industry, and is at risk of violence and drug addiction.

These are the kinds of risky occupations that are the only alternative, commonly,

for an adolescent who does not have the opportunity to continue in school.

And, they have profound effects on health.

This slide shows the changes that we've seen in global youth

unemployment since the time of the global financial crisis in 2007.

At the time, you found employment grew sharply.

One of the reasons being,

that during times of recession, it's a case of last in, first out.

And, that's young people who are most vulnerable.

And, unemployment matters for the health of young people in a range of ways.

Just as for eduction, employment brings knowledge and skills that underpin health.

It influences the peer group that a young person mixes with.

And, it also influences the income a young person receives, and

in turn, access to health resources, including health insurance.

That impact on access to health care was recently illustrated in

a global financial crisis in Greece.

Where, not only did self reported health decline,

but unmet need for health and dental care increased.

And, it is the young unemployed

who are the most vulnerable in these circumstances.

Conversely, making a successful transition to employment

after finishing education, is another step in securing, not only,

health in young adulthood but, health across the rest of life.

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