Periodical Review:
“Health Information Needs of d/Deaf Adolescent Females; A Call to Action” It is widely recognized that the adolescent years are a crucial time frame in personal development. There much to be learned by, and many risks to, individuals going through this stage between childhood and adulthood. Many programs, support systems, and information outlets are present, geared towards promoting the health, safety and well-being of adolescent individuals. But, how accessible and helpful are these resources for d/Deaf adolescents? This is actually a concerning gap in d/Deaf adolescent health information, and it is the main topic tackled by Chad E. Smith, Marilyn Massey-Stokes, and Ann Lieberth in their article, “Health Information Needs …show more content…
Although, according to Smith, et al, there is a void in d/Deaf children receiving the health information they need due to communication complications (42). Since deafness presents a language barrier between ASL and English, the health literacy of d/Deaf adolescence is greatly impacted (43). This means not only are d/Deaf adolescents struggling with all the obstacles hearing adolescents are, such as seeking information from peers or online sources that may not be correct or credible, they may not even be able to understand the information when they find it. Smith, et al, point out that health literacy is directly correlated to an individual’s health, stating, “people with low health literacy understand health information less well, [and] get less preventive health care” (43). The article stresses how if adolescents do not understand their health, they won’t know how to talk about it, especially awkward or confusing subjects like puberty, relationships, and body image. This then turns into if they aren’t talking about these things, they aren’t learning what they need to know to keep themselves healthy and safe, which may allow seriously detrimental mental or physical health issues to …show more content…
Between sex education classes in school, the endless health websites, and all other health information outlets available, it is obvious society is aware of adolescents’ need to be educated about their health. But d/Deaf adolescents are a minority that can seemingly be easily overlooked, their unique needs present a challenge as to how to properly educate them, but with their health at risk, it must be done. Smith, et al, prove this point, and urge steps to be taken to resolve this issue. Their suggested first step, while it is a complex website needing multiple professionals, should be easy enough to accomplish and the effect it would have would be huge. Having a credible, reliable, and understandable platform in which d/Deaf adolescents could be educated about their health through, would be a big step in health care making itself universally
“Health Information Needs of d/Deaf Adolescent Females; A Call to Action” It is widely recognized that the adolescent years are a crucial time frame in personal development. There much to be learned by, and many risks to, individuals going through this stage between childhood and adulthood. Many programs, support systems, and information outlets are present, geared towards promoting the health, safety and well-being of adolescent individuals. But, how accessible and helpful are these resources for d/Deaf adolescents? This is actually a concerning gap in d/Deaf adolescent health information, and it is the main topic tackled by Chad E. Smith, Marilyn Massey-Stokes, and Ann Lieberth in their article, “Health Information Needs …show more content…
Although, according to Smith, et al, there is a void in d/Deaf children receiving the health information they need due to communication complications (42). Since deafness presents a language barrier between ASL and English, the health literacy of d/Deaf adolescence is greatly impacted (43). This means not only are d/Deaf adolescents struggling with all the obstacles hearing adolescents are, such as seeking information from peers or online sources that may not be correct or credible, they may not even be able to understand the information when they find it. Smith, et al, point out that health literacy is directly correlated to an individual’s health, stating, “people with low health literacy understand health information less well, [and] get less preventive health care” (43). The article stresses how if adolescents do not understand their health, they won’t know how to talk about it, especially awkward or confusing subjects like puberty, relationships, and body image. This then turns into if they aren’t talking about these things, they aren’t learning what they need to know to keep themselves healthy and safe, which may allow seriously detrimental mental or physical health issues to …show more content…
Between sex education classes in school, the endless health websites, and all other health information outlets available, it is obvious society is aware of adolescents’ need to be educated about their health. But d/Deaf adolescents are a minority that can seemingly be easily overlooked, their unique needs present a challenge as to how to properly educate them, but with their health at risk, it must be done. Smith, et al, prove this point, and urge steps to be taken to resolve this issue. Their suggested first step, while it is a complex website needing multiple professionals, should be easy enough to accomplish and the effect it would have would be huge. Having a credible, reliable, and understandable platform in which d/Deaf adolescents could be educated about their health through, would be a big step in health care making itself universally