Selected Health Concern
The issue of bullying among teenagers is a serious health concern that negatively influences the well-being and developmental process of teenagers. That is why these health concerns should be addressed with the help of a health promotion plan to improve awareness of the detrimental consequences of bullying. These actions allow teenagers to prevent these situations and provide them with support and the ability to cope with bullying and not hide it.
Chosen Population and Demographic Data
This plan targets teenagers between 13 and 19 years old living in different communities in the United States, including diverse races and ethnicities. Developing awareness about the consequences of bullying and promoting educational programs using challenging games and SMART goals would reduce the issue and increase positive health outcomes among teenagers. Teenagers are the most vulnerable to bullying, so various backgrounds are considered in research on the issue. The chosen population is teenagers between 13 and 19 years, so they are middle or high school students. To avoid being biased, students from various ethnic and racial backgrounds would be considered.
Predisposition to the Health Concern
Several factors influence the vulnerability of teenagers to bullying. Firstly, students are still physically, psychologically, and emotionally developing during this period, so they are more sensitive to external stimuli (Fuentes et al., 2019). As a result, this audience is much more likely to be influenced by peers or adults. Secondly, teenagers can be reached online without even noticing it in the modern digital world, so cyberbullying occurs.
Thirdly, there are only so many efficient methods to cope with bullying and provide students with essential help. Lastly, presently, teenagers face severe social pressure as they should follow the standards society requires (Fuentes et al., 2019). Hence, teenagers are the most vulnerable to bullying due to the forming period and external factors.
Benefits of Health Promotion Educational Plan
A health promotion educational plan is needed to address the mentioned concerns and raise confidence and awareness of the issue, its consequences, and prevention strategies. It was noted that developing awareness of bullying is crucial while learning at school because, during that period, students earn essential skills (Fuentes et al., 2019). This plan would include informal peer involvement and direct communication with parents. Recent research shows these techniques are the most efficient (Salmivalli et al., 2021).
Parents should not be actively involved in the discussion, but they should get the necessary information to detect and prevent bullying at home. The focus should be on peer communication because students spend more time together than with their parents (Salmivalli et al., 2021). That is why educational programs should include resources, information, and support for students to learn about bullying and its impact on their peers’ well-being and mental health. Hence, educational programs implemented in schools should provide students with the essential knowledge to prevent bullying.
Sociogram Development
When developing a sociogram and analyzing potential learning needs, factors that impact health, bullying, and their understanding should be considered. Social dynamics, cultural influences, and lifestyle behaviors should be researched to detect potential learning needs. For instance, children are separated by the level of poverty, race, and gender, which has a prominent impact on their health. If a person is in poverty, it isn’t easy to access efficient healthcare. The present racial inequality and biases lead to different care quality for people from different cultures and races.
Individual characteristics and family dynamics should be considered to reach each person effectively (Salmivalli et al., 2021). Firstly, it is essential to provide students with a clear definition of bullying, ensure they understand it correctly, recognize its signs, and know how to react. Secondly, teenagers should be aware of places where they can seek help and where they can get help to cope with bullying.
Potential Learning Needs and SMART Goals
Thirdly, students should develop communication skills to decrease anxiety and the inability to make proper contact. The Healthy People 2030 programs address the educational background to reduce bullying by implementing different school strategies (US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d). Lastly, all these skills should be provided through comprehensive educational sessions with practical activities to better develop prevention and intervention skills.
The SMART goals approach and serious games can be implemented in the created educational plan. While collaborating with students, SMART goals can be established. For example, by increasing awareness about various forms of bullying, students can identify differences between the issues.
Current Behaviors, Expectations, and Suggested Strategies for Meeting Needs
Currently, teenagers’ behavior depends on their environment; therefore, the more negative it is, the more likely teenagers are to bully. Teenagers are expected to clearly define their aims and how to achieve them. In addition, their behavior is expected to change, so they become more confident and passionate about their peers.
To earn these skills, serious games can be used. Serious games are an efficient way to prevent bullying and increase awareness of its negative consequences and destructive impact (Calvo-Morata et al., 2020). In this case, students are provided with a practical, interactive platform where they should engage to achieve positive outcomes and earn essential skills. For instance, the game “Virtual Teen World” allows students to virtually explore school settings and display the impact of bullying on their peers (Calvo-Morata et al., 2020). Thus, SMART goals and serious games can be implemented in the education plan to help students earn practical skills and increase awareness of the negative impact of bullying.
References
Calvo-Morata, A., Alonso-Fernández, C., Freire, M., Martínez-Ortiz, I., & Fernández-Manjón, B. (2020). Serious games to prevent and detect bullying and cyberbullying: A systematic serious games and literature review. Computers & Education, 157, 103958. Web.
Fuentes Cabrera, A., Moreno Guerrero, A. J., Pozo Sánchez, J. S., & Rodríguez-García, A. M. (2019). Bullying among teens: Are ethnicity and race risk factors for victimization? A bibliometric research. Education Sciences, 9(3), 220. Web.
Salmivalli, C., Laninga‐Wijnen, L., Malamut, S. T., & Garandeau, C. F. (2021). Bullying prevention in adolescence: Solutions and new challenges from the past decade. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31(4), 1023-1046. Web.
US Department of health and human resources. (n. d.). Goal: Promote health, safety, and learning in school settings. Health. Web.