Week 1 Assignment
Assignment: Health
Psychology
Several trends have shaped healthcare today, including the
rise of chronic disease as the leading cause of death for adults in
industrialized nations. Behavioral and lifestyle choices, as well as
psychological well-being, became a focus of treatment along with the medical
regimen for adults with chronic disease. Similarly, children and adolescents
also may have to alter their behaviors and incorporate new medication and
medical procedures into their lifestyles when diagnosed with chronic diseases.
Yet, children and adolescents are less likely than adults to comply with their
new behaviors, lifestyles, and medical regimens. There are multiple
interventions to handle noncompliance in children and adolescents. According to
the behavioral theory of adherence, both positive and negative reinforcement
can strengthen the behavior (adherence) in the desired direction in children
and adolescents, but punishment can decrease the behavior (noncompliance)
(Brannon & Feist, 2007).
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. For this Assignment, review
the media in this week’s Learning Resources. Select an illness experienced by
an adolescent in the media piece. Consider similarities and differences between
child and adolescent health psychology and adult health psychology. Also, consider
why noncompliance is a concern for children and adolescents. Please note that
you will only view media featuring adolescents because of ethical and legal
considerations regarding the taping of younger children.
The Assignment (2–3 pages)
Briefly describe the illness you selected from the media
piece.
Compare the treatment and coping strategies of the child or
adolescent you selected with those of adults who might have the same illness.
Explain how a health psychologist may have to work
differently with a child/adolescent with that illness from how he or she would
work with an adult with that illness.
Explain why noncompliance might be a significant issue for
children and adolescents dealing with health issues.
Describe one intervention that a health psychologist might
use to address the issue of noncompliance and explain why it may be effective.
Support your response using the Learning Resources and other
current literature.
Week 2 Assignment
Assignment: Asthma
Management and Treatment
Asthma is a serious public health problem for children and
adolescents in the United States. In 2011, approximately one out of 10
school-aged children had asthma. Because of this chronic illness, students miss
10.5 million school days each year (United States Environmental Protection
Agency, 2011). There are several barriers in the management and treatment of
asthma. Barriers can be created by the parents and guardians or by their
children experiencing asthma. Parents and guardians may experience decreased
motivation for changing behavior in their children (Bender, 2002). For example,
12-year-old William does not clean his room weekly to get rid of dust mites,
which is one of his asthma triggers. After repeated attempts to get him to
comply, his parents become less motivated to try to change that behavior. In response to the multiple barriers to
effective asthma management and treatment, children and adolescents may find
different ways to cope with their illness (Ryan-Wenger & Walsh, 1994).
For this Assignment, imagine you are a health psychology
professional and you need to develop a brochure for students with asthma.
Consider how you might describe asthma to children and adolescents. Then
describe the barriers created by children and adolescents and the potential
impact to them. Review the media in this week’s Learning Resources. Please note
that you will only view media featuring adolescents because of ethical and
legal considerations regarding the taping of younger children.
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. This assignment may be used
as the foundation for your comprehensive program due in Week 10. Please review
the Week 10 Assignment for details. Please use your creativity while developing
your Assignment. You may use the templates provided for your Assignment found in
the Course Information area or you may create your own.
The Assignment (1 brochure)
Create a brochure that could be used in a hospital, clinic,
or a school counselor’s office.
Include the following information within your brochure:
Define asthma in children and adolescents.
Describe three potential barriers to controlling asthma for
children and adolescents.
Explain the potential impacts of asthma to the daily
functioning of children and adolescents.
Explain the differences in coping strategies between
children and adolescents with asthma.
Use appropriate APA references at the bottom of your
brochure.
Week 3 Assignment
Assignment: Taking
Diabetes to School
Children with diabetes have difficulties metabolizing sugar,
and may not produce or respond to insulin, depending on the type of diabetes.
There are two main types of diabetes that generally affect children and
adolescents—Type 1 and Type 2. With Type 1 diabetes, also referred to
juvenile-onset diabetes, children produce little to no insulin. Type 2
diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, used to occur primarily in adults
40 years and over. Yet, it has been on the rise in children and adolescents due
to nutrition and weight problems (International Diabetes Federation, n.d.).
The diagnosis of diabetes for children can be overwhelming.
The responsibilities and restrictions a child with diabetes may have might make
them feel like an outsider at school. Children with Type 1 diabetes are at
higher risk for adjustments problems after diagnosis and increased risk for
psychological problems (Delamater, 2007). Consider how you may be able to
improve student-peer relationships by providing educational presentations for
schools.
For this Assignment, imagine your local elementary school
has hired you as a consultant to give a presentation on diabetes to students in
Grades 3 & 4 or Grades 5 & 6. Based on the media on Diabetes in this
week’s Learning Resources, select the information that you feel is important
and pertinent to the age range you selected. Consider the following information
when you are creating your presentation, but remember to tailor the information
to the needs and knowledge level of your targeted age group.
A definition of diabetes
Management of diabetes
Dietary restrictions
Symptoms of a glucose emergency
Potential barriers to peer relationships for students with
diabetes
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. Please use your creativity
while developing your Assignment. You may use the templates provided for your
Assignment found in the Course Information area or you may create your own. You
may also look at the American Heart Association example for an example of a
completed PowerPoint presentation. This Assignment may be used as the
foundation for your comprehensive program due in Week 11. Please review the
Week 11 Assignment for additional details. Review the media in this week’s
Learning Resources. Please note that you will only view media featuring
adolescents because of ethical and legal considerations regarding the taping of
younger children.
The Assignment (8–10 PowerPoint slides and a 1- to 2-page
document)
Create an age-appropriate PowerPoint Presentation. Include
in your presentation:
Title slide
The age group you are targeting (Grades 3 & 4 or Grades
5 & 6)
Educational information related to diabetes appropriate for
that age group.
In a 1- to 2-page document, explain why you selected the
information in your presentation and why it is age-appropriate.
Include a list of references in APA format.
Week 4 Assignment
Assignment: The
Impact of Pediatric Cancer
There are approximately 18,000 newly diagnosed cases of
pediatric cancer (birth to age 19) each year in the United States. There are
several types of pediatric cancer that affect children and adolescents,
including leukemia, brain tumors, lymphoma, sarcomas, liver, and kidney cancers
(St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis, 2012; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 2008). Treatments for
childhood cancers may include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and
other treatments. In many cases, depending on the type and stage, more than one
treatment may be used together. Each child or adolescent with a pediatric
cancer diagnosis is affected differently. Each family and family member is
affected differently as well.
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. For this Assignment, select
one type of pediatric cancer to evaluate. Consider how a cancer diagnosis and
treatment might affect the psychological, emotional, and behavioral functioning
of children and adolescents and their families.
The Assignment (5–7 pages)
Describe the type of pediatric cancer you selected and
explain its signs and symptoms, treatment, and prognosis.
Explain how a pediatric cancer diagnosis might impact the
psychological, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children and
adolescents and their families.
Explain how pediatric cancer treatment might impact the
psychological, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children and
adolescents and their families.
Support your responses with the Learning Resources and other
current literature.
Week 5 Assignment
Assignment: Reducing
Noncompliance in Cystic Fibrosis
While medical advances have improved the life expectancy
rate of people diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, children and adolescents must
comply precisely with their medications and treatment plans for them to be
effective. Noncompliance in cystic fibrosis treatments can cause decreased
pulmonary functioning and increased hospitalizations. For example, the
noncompliance rates for physiotherapy treatment are approximately 60 percent,
and medication noncompliance ranges from 20–40 percent (Llorente, Bousono
Garcia, & Diaz Martin, 2008). In order to combat the high rates of
noncompliance, medical professionals have been using a variety of psychological
interventions, including psychoeducational, psychosocial, and behavioral. The success
of these types of interventions, has been comparable to medical treatments. For
example, nutritional interventions have been used successfully to increase
weight and caloric intake (Drotar, 2006). Although noncompliance may occur at
any age, the type of intervention used and the way it is presented will vary
based upon the age of the person. Consider how you may present a behavioral
intervention to a child or adolescent.
For this Assignment, imagine you are a health psychology
professional and you need to develop a behavioral intervention plan for Chelsey
when she was noncompliant as a child. Although Chelsey is compliant as an
adolescent, consider her noncompliance as a child. Develop a behavioral
intervention plan that she could have used as a child. Review the media in this
week’s Learning Resources and consider the types of behavioral interventions
that you might have recommended to Chelsey when she was younger. Reflect on the
importance of rewards systems for children in health psychology but also
remember to consider the age of the people with whom you are working. Please
note that you will only view media featuring adolescents because of ethical and
legal considerations regarding the taping of younger children.
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. This Assignment may be used
as the foundation for your comprehensive program due in Week 10. Please review
the Week 10 Assignment for additional details.
The Assignment (2–3 pages and the behavioral chart)
Develop a behavioral intervention to improve Chelsey’s
compliance with her medical regimen including her diet, medications, and cystic
fibrosis vest use.
Describe a behavioral intervention technique located in the
Learning Resources.
Create a 2- to 3-page narrative including:
A brief description of Chelsey and the age you selected
A description of a rewards system you would create for
Chelsey based on that behavioral intervention technique
A justification for the use of the technique
Create a behavior chart including the target behaviors and
the specific rewards that Chelsey could earn for complying with her medical
regimen.
Support your responses with the Learning Resources and
current literature.
Week 7 Assignment
Assignment: Sexually
Transmitted Infections in High Schools
Sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) are infectious
diseases spread through sexual contact. STIs include, but are not limited to,
gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Consider that approximately 50% of
high school students in the United States have had sexual intercourse, and
approximately 14% of them have had four or more partners (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 2010). These high percentages of sexual intercourse
among adolescents increase the risk for STIs among this group. Therefore, the
need for accurate education, instead of what some cultures may deem
appropriate, is paramount.
The World Health Organization (WHO) created the Global
School Health Initiative, in conjunction with international organizations, to
ensure that students receive accurate information and education in an effort to
protect them and help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. The initiative not
only targets students, but also tries to educate staff, parents, and community
members to create a health-promoting school (Preventing HIV/AIDS/STDs, 1999;
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011).
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. For this Assignment, you
develop a health promotion poster to promote healthier lifestyles in an attempt
to prevent STIs among adolescents. This assignment may be used as the
foundation for your comprehensive program due in Week 10. Please review the
Week 10 Assignment for details. Please use your creativity while developing
your assignment. You may use the templates provided for your assignment or you
may create your own. These poster templates may be found in the Course
Information area.
The Assignment (2–3 pages and the health promotion poster)
Create an 8”x10” health promotion poster on your computer
directed at high school students.
Focus on either the risk factors of sexually transmitted
infections or the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Create a 2- to 3-page narrative describing your health
promotion campaign.
Include in your descriptive narrative the risk factors of
sexually transmitted infections or the prevention of sexually transmitted
infections.
Use appropriate APA references at the bottom of your
narrative.
Week 8 Assignment
Assignment: Public
Health Prevention Programs
Childhood obesity is becoming a global epidemic. Generally,
obesity has been considered a health problem of developed countries, especially
in the United States. Now, there are more overweight and obese people in low-
and middle-income countries, and this phenomenon is not limited to adults. In
2010, it was estimated that approximately 42 million children under the age of
5 were obese or overweight, and almost 35 million of those children lived in
developing countries (World Health Organization, 2010). Measuring the numbers
for children ages 5 through 14 globally is challenging, because there is not a
standard definition for childhood obesity. While there are some variations,
there are higher percentages of older children and adolescents being overweight
or obese in developing countries (Kimani-Murage, 2011; Editorial, 2008).
One of the primary ways to reduce obesity in children and
adolescents is through prevention, as opposed to relying only on treating the
symptoms and effects of the problem. Developing public health programs to
educate and promote healthy lifestyles to children and adolescents is one
responsibility of health psychology professionals.
For this Application Assignment, select a population for
which to develop a public health program to promote good nutrition and
family-based exercise programs. Your population could be as small as your local
neighborhood or as large as a global initiative (Association of Schools of
Public Health, n.d.). A public health program aimed at childhood obesity
prevention should be culturally appropriate and geared toward the developmental
understanding of the targeted ages, which may ultimately require multiple
approaches. When developing your public health program, you should consider the
availability of resources and access to locations. For example, family-based
treatment programs have shown significant decreases in obesity rates in
children and adolescents. You may want to include the proven approach of family
support for exercise as an element of your public health program (Epstein,
Valoski, Rena, & McCurley, 1994). While exercise may be an appropriate
example within your public health program, you may not want to include
swimming, because of cultural or religious beliefs.
This Application Assignment may be used as the foundation
for your comprehensive program, which is due in Week 10. Please review the Week
10 Assignment for details. Submit your media file to the Week 8 Assignment
submission area using the Kaltura Media option available via the mashup tool.
More information about adding media to the classroom is located on the Kaltura
Media Uploader page in the course navigation menu.
Caveat: Each person participating in the public service
announcement must read and sign the Video/Voice Release Agreement. Find this
form on the Kaltura Media Uploader page located in the course navigation menu
of your online course. Submit the signed form(s) to your Instructor in the Week
8 Assignment Submission link.
Your local health department hires you as a consultant to
develop a health promotion campaign for your community. Your campaign must
include advertising appropriate for your community and targeted health
programming.
The Assignment (2–3 pages and the 30-second public service
announcement for a community health promotion campaign)
Write a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) for your
community to promote good nutrition and family-based exercise programs.
Record your PSA and submit it to the Week 8 Assignment
submission area using the Kaltura Media option available via the mashup tool.
More information is located on the Kaltura Media Uploader page in the course
navigation menu.
Create a 2- to 3-page narrative describing your health
promotion campaign.
Include in your descriptive narrative recent trends in poor
diet and exercise and how your program can reduce these trends. The trends may
vary based on your selected community (e.g., local or general). Be sure to
support your trends with the current literature.
Use appropriate APA
references at the bottom of your narrative.
Submit your assignment by Day 7. Submit a Video/Voice
Release Agreement to the Assignment Submission link for each person who
participates in your video
Week 9 Assignment
Assignment:
Adolescent Eating Disorders
In March 2012, Israel became the first country to create
legislation defining minimum weights for fashion models. It also mandated
written disclosures on altered images to make models look thinner. Now, when
models appear at a shoot, they have to show a medical report that is no more
than three months old and discloses their body mass index (BMI). If a model’s
BMI is below 18.5, which is considered malnourished by the World Health
Organization (WHO), then he or she will not be able to participate in the
shoot. Lawmakers placed standards on the fashion industry because they believed
the industry promoted an unrealistic perception of ideal weight and body image,
especially in the eyes of young women. Approximately 2% of females in Israel
ages 14–18 suffer from an eating disorder and this statistic is similar around
the world for developing countries. Supporters of the legislation hope that the
law will increase the use of healthier, more realistic models, as well as raise
awareness about the digital techniques used to enhance male and female models
(New Israeli law, 2012). Many have blamed the fashion, television, and film
industries for promoting unrealistic body images and for their impact on
children and adolescents. As a health psychology professional, you should keep
informed of ongoing trends and legislation related to children and adolescent
health. Consider how you might address the issue of eating disorders in an
age-appropriate presentation for adolescents.
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. For this Assignment, imagine
that the local high school hires you as a consultant to give a presentation on
eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, and a binge-eating disorder). Think about
pertinent age-appropriate information that you may want to use in your
presentation. Do not use the example of Israel’s legislation provided above.
This assignment may be used as the foundation for your
comprehensive program due in Week 10. Please review the Week 10 Assignment for
details. Please use your creativity while developing your assignment. You may
use the templates provided for your assignment or you may create your own.
Please keep all of your notes in the notes section.
The Assignment (8–10 PowerPoint slides)
Create an age-appropriate PowerPoint Presentation for Grades
9–12.
Include a title slide.
Explain the three eating disorders in terms the students
will understand.
Differentiate between anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and a
binge-eating disorder.
Explain the risk factors for each eating disorder, including
media influence and peer pressure.
Provide the students with a scenario for each eating
disorder.
Submit a separate APA Reference document.
Week 10 Assignment
Assignment: Creating
Awareness Programs
Throughout this course, you have developed several items
that you may want to add to your portfolio, such as behavioral intervention
plans and public service announcements. As a potential health psychology
professional, your portfolio should show diverse approaches (e.g., poster,
brochure, etc.) to several health psychology topics. You also should have
examples from different age groups.
As a future health psychology professional, you may be
interested in consulting for schools, non-profit organizations, or government
agencies. You may be hired to create a comprehensive awareness program to
inform your target population about a specific health issue and preventive
approaches using various forms of media. When you are creating an awareness
program, always know your target population. Awareness programs may be designed
to target a specific age group or culture. For example, if your awareness
program is for third through fifth graders, be sure you understand what type of
presentation would work best for them, such as posters or interactive
activities. Also, use language that your target audience can understand. The
presentation should not be below or above your audience’s level of
understanding, and it should be culturally sensitive.
Submit your Assignment by Day 7. For this Assignment, select
one of the assignments you completed earlier in this course to use as the
foundation for your comprehensive awareness program. Then, use your selected
assignment health psychology topic to create a comprehensive awareness program
for children and adolescents and their families.
The Assignment (12–14 pages of text, plus cover page,
abstract, and references)
Describe your comprehensive awareness program including:
The purpose of your program
The selected health topic
The appropriate setting for your program (e.g., schools,
hospitals, community events)
The projected time frame for your program
Describe a target community and/or culture
Justify why that community and/or culture is in need of
education on your selected health topic
Explain the health factors related to your topic within this
community and/or culture
Explain the risk factors for your health topic within this
community and/or culture
Explain three goals of your comprehensive awareness program
Explain five elements that you would add to your existing
Assignment that you selected to develop your comprehensive awareness project
Explain how this program may promote positive change
