School-Age Children and Adolescents

School-Age Children and Adolescents

1. You are a community health nurse assigned to work at a school. You learn that more than 20% of the students in
this school district are receiving Ritalin, Adderall, or some other medication for treating ADHD. What issues should
you consider in determining whether these medications are being appropriately prescribed?
2. What is the major cause of death among younger school-age children? Adolescents? What community-wide
interventions could be initiated to prevent these deaths? Select one intervention for children and one for adolescents and describe how you and a group of community health professionals might develop effective preventive
measures.
3. A 14-year-old girl from a middle-class family and a 14-year-old girl from a poor family both come to the health
department clinic where you work. The girls have similar symptoms that suggest gonorrhea. Would your assessment and intervention be the same for the two girls? What are your values and attitudes toward people with
infections that are sexually transmitted? Does social class, race, age, or sex make any difference in how you feel
about them? What is one action the community health nurse can take to prevent such infections in this population group?
4. Discuss possible methods of doing nutritional assessments in school-age children and adolescents. What programs could be instituted to encourage healthier diets and increased exercise? What other factors might need to
be considered? How could you, as a community health nurse, work with schools and parents to increase physical
activity and improve nutrition for school-age children and adolescents?
5. A new elementary school to which you have been assigned has repeated outbreaks of head lice and very limited
access to health care. Using the Internet, research causes for recurrent head lice infestations and effective overthe-counter treatment products. Are “no-nit” policies effective? Why or why not? Discuss possible education programs you might implement or other innovative methods of treatment and control you might be able to institute.