NRSG257 – EXAM REVISED STUDY GUIDE
Children: 0-14 years of age
What are the major issues faced with children in health?
- Preventable mortality
- Morbidity
- Vaccine preventable disease
- Adult conditions which originate in childhood
- Family and social functioning.
Injury – leading cause of mortality and morbidity after the first
year of life. Asthma: is the most chronic illness in children and
principal cause of hospitalization.
What morbidities are associated with children?
- Birth defects – neural tube defects (spina bifida),
structural defects and visual and hearing impairments.
- Low birth weight - <2500 grams = 6.4% (very low birth
weight <1500 grams =0.5%)
- Prematurity - <37 weeks gestation
- Asthma
- Childhood disability – (PKU, CF) early identification screening
Vaccines – prevent diseases
Adult conditions which originate in childhood:
- Nutrition and physical activity – some children are
becoming more overweight an less physically active =
implications for future health planning
- Exposure to sunlight – highest rate of skin cancer in the world
- Oral health – fluoride has improved oral health
Family and social functioning:
- Parents and carers – parenting has a profound and
lasting impact on health, development and wellbeing
- Mental health – affects 1 in 5 children and young people
- Child abuse and neglect – the tip of the iceberg
Services in children’s health care:
- Early childhood health services
- Family carer centers
- Residential family care services
- Child and family teams
- Child protection services
- Hospital services
- Children’s units in general hospitals
- Children’s hospitals
- Outreach programmes.
Puberty:
- Young people become physically mature and capable of
reproduction
- Girls average is a two year lead on boys
- BMI is one of the strongest indicators of timing of girls puberty
- Female puberty usually takes 2-4 years to complete in
the following sequence’ budding of breasts, growth
spurt, menarche – first
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