• 100-150 words, apa format, etc.

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• How do social and environmental factors affect teens and young adults making healthy or unhealthy decisions? How influential is the family environment?
  • Social Factors: Social media and other influences such as television programs, entertainers, friends and schools can play huge parts in what decisions young adults make when it comes to healthy and unhealthy lifestyles. If a television star drinks nothing but Red Bull throughout the entire program, the viewers may find themselves subconsciously looking to drink Red Bull. If their favorite singer or best friend is vegan, they may explore the ins and outs of becoming vegan.
  • Environmental Factors: Environmental factors such as how close one lives to a fresh food market versus a fast food restaurant. If a person lives in a lower income area they are less likely to eat healthy due to the food options in the area compared to that of those who live in higher income neighborhoods and may have places like Aldi and Whole Foods to choose from.
  • Family Influences: Family influences can play a major role in healthy and unhealthy choices. In some cases, if a mother or father smokes, the young adult will begin smoking at an early age. In most African-American cultures, foods that are fatty or salty are almost second nature and this may continue on through young adulthood into their adult lives causing diet related diseases.
• What motivates teens to form groups and how do negative behaviors increase when teens are involved in small or large gangs?
  • One thing that may motivate teens to form groups or cliques is to maintain a sense of acceptance. â€œSome children and adolescents are motivated to join a gang for a sense of connection or to define a new sense of who they are. Others are motivated by peer pressure, a need to protect themselves and their family, because a family member also is in a gang, or to make money.” (aacap.org, 2011). Parents can feel distant from their adolescents because they are going through several different emotional changes that parents may not be able to comprehend or work through.
  • Negative behaviors increase when peer pressure becomes involved. Whether it be peer pressure to partake in more risky behavior or to be promiscuous. Ways to avoid peer pressure:
    • Learn how to say no.
    • Be true to yourself.
    • Think about the consequences whenever you are asked to do something you are not sure about.
    • Choose your friends wisely.
    • Avoid putting yourself in situations that make you feel uncomfortable.

(healthofchildren.com, 2016).

• What specific issues does the U.S. minority population face in terms of health issues, lack of healthcare, and risky behaviors?
  • African Americans deal with health issues such as HCV, diabetes, heart disease and Sickle Cell Anemia. In the case of healthcare, some issues with minorities result from there being language barriers, or the jobs that are being obtained do not offer insurance or the hours to obtain adequate healthcare.
• What specific type of community program would you develop if you were in charge of improving options for teens and young adults? What community members would you seek to speak with about your program proposal and how important is it to include influential community members who can help support legislation, space, or financial services to help a community program succeed?
  • The program I would develop would provide alternatives for young adults to be able to be themselves and hang out as an alternative to being out on the street and being in gangs. The program would have recreational sports available to teach the participants team work, working well with others and leadership skills. There would also be culinary courses and opportunities to provide these youth with the necessary skills needed to function well in society and to be strong leaders. The community members I would seek help from would be child psychologists, therapists, counselors in and out of schools, school officials and government employees. It would be extremely important to include influential community members who can help to build up and fund the program because it is imperative to keep our youth sanctioned in success as well as give them a sense of inclusion to remove their need for outside acceptance.
• How will education reduce risk taking behaviors? What type of follow up and evaluation will you do to ensure a successful program?
  • Appropriate education would reduce risk taking behaviors because it will give the students more opportunities to escape the sense of low self-worth and to give them opportunities for college life and a career that truly makes them happy. The follow-ups and evaluations will take place every 2-3 years to make sure that the kids are staying on the right track and to potentially set up job interviews and internships.

Citations

Gangs and Children. (2011, August). Retrieved August 17, 2016, from http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-and-Gangs-098.aspx

Peer pressure. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17, 2016, from http://www.healthofchildren.com/P/Peer-Pressure.html