Health Behaviors of Adolescents

A group of nursing students wanted to learn more about the health behaviors of adolescents in their community. They decided to have students at the local high school complete a questionnaire about their health behaviors. After the adolescents completed the questionnaire, the nursing students reviewed the responses and tallied the results. They discovered that over half of the adolescents who completed the questionnaire engaged in risky sexual behaviors. They reviewed the literature, which stated that sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates in this population are on the rise.

The nursing students decided to educate the adolescents about safe sexual practices and the prevention of STI transmission. The overall goal of the program was to decrease the number of adolescents engaged in risky sexual behaviors. The nursing students developed the following objectives and teaching strategies for this educational program:

• To instill adolescents with an intrinsic motivation to become aware of their own risky sexual behavior through class discussions and cooperative learning exercises
• To promote safe sexual practices with the adolescents through demonstration of appropriate safe sex practices and inquiry-guided instruction
• To develop students’ positive sexual health behaviors through scenario-based case presentations and discussions

Review the Healthy People 2030 Leading Health Indicators (LHIs). Identify the LHI that best matches STIs and transmission through risky sexual behaviors.

Critique the objectives and teaching strategies used by the student nurses.

• How do the objectives and teaching strategies address the identified LHI?
• What action by the nursing students illustrates the planning phase of the health planning model? Refer to Figure 7.2 in Community Health Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
• Which system level is primarily being addressed through the educational program? Refer to Box 7-2 in Community Health Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.
• What level of prevention is being applied by the educational program that the nursing students are providing? Refer to your textbook for levels of prevention.

Cite specific examples from practice or literature.