Adolescence is a pivotal period of a person’s development, occurring between 10 and 24 years of age. During this period, adolescents experience many changes in their physical, cognitive, moral, spiritual, and emotional states. Given the significance of this developmental stage to the overall well-being of a person in adulthood, healthcare professionals should seize the opportunity to promote health and offer preventive services. A comprehensive health teaching plan should address all the major physical, emotional, social, and spiritual challenges that adolescents encounter during their transition to adulthood.
The most crucial healthcare concerns related to adolescence include sexual behavior, substance use, diet and exercise, and mental health (Edelman et al., 2014). A comprehensive health teaching plan should address all these concerns and equip adolescents with knowledge and skills to cope with these challenges. For example, in terms of sexual behavior, the primary problems are unintended pregnancy and STD (Edelman et al., 2014). Therefore, a health teaching plan should include educating adolescents on contraception, STD prevention, and resistance to sexual pressures.
Many challenges during adolescence stem from negative peer pressure, which may lead to substance use, eating disorders, or mental health problems, such as depression. Healthcare providers should provide adolescents with coping mechanisms to help them resist peer pressure and deal with stressful situations. Educating adolescents about the importance of a balanced diet and providing them with a moderate exercise plan is also important as it will protect them against obesity or eating disorders, such as bulimia nervosa.
Finally, adolescents experience spiritual challenges as they learn to distinguish right from wrong and develop their own moral standards. In order to help adolescents to define themselves spiritually, healthcare providers should engage parents in the education of their children. Parents should serve as role models, encouraging positive behaviors and guiding their children through their process of growing up. A good health teaching plan should incorporate all the mentioned elements to ensure the successful transition of an adolescent into a healthy adult.
Reference
Edelman, C. L., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2014). Health promotion throughout the life span (8th ed.). Elsevier Mosby.