Sean Fluckiger

Public Health Trends Assignment

                I spoke with Kara Sutter, of the Placer County Health and Human Services Department, she was a Substance Abuse Prevention Representative dealing with the effects and trends in children and minors. The 5 trends I learned about involved the public health and activities of children. One of the largest trends was an increase throughout the county in teenage drinking. At least 40-50% of kids between 8^th and 12^th grade reported drinking alcohol, and that’s not accounting for those who are too shy to report in the survey. Alcohol is becoming more readily available in homes and in school, and it is affecting everything from their social life, family life, and how they do in school.

                Another trend that pairs with the increase in teenage drinking is the increase in awareness programs and such in schools. More and more schools are making an effort to reach out through faculty and parents to emphasize the seriousness and futility of underage drinking.  The SAP provides information and helps assist with these programs directly, and teach the 40 Developmental Assets which are aimed at kids, parents, and adults alike to make an environment more constructive to preventing these sorts of behaviors.  These programs include everything from federal organizations like DARE to student run organizations that put on plays and projects to increase awareness. This is a more positive trend, and it is definitely making an impact in the areas of the county that are putting a larger effort into this education than others.

Another trend that is emerging is the popularity and recreational use of prescription drugs. We’re at the point now where the average age of kids who have used prescription drugs is 13 years old. And 50% of 11^th graders in the county say that prescription drugs are easier to get. As our society advances and creates more medicine to aid our frailties, it is actually having a negative impact on our youth, who are experimenting or are misinformed. Prescription medication is much easier to get than illegal drugs, as can be seen by the availability of over-the-counter medication, which doesn’t require and prescription. This unhealthy habit has even led to children seeking to capture those same effects with other substances, like hand sanitizer or mouth wash. Specifically, this rate has increases in Placer County at an alarming rate.

There is also an increasing appearance of weight problems in kids in Placer County. This area affects middle school age (cuz there aren’t middle schools in Placer County) kids and high school students. Between the accessibility of fast food and teenage diets, more and more kids are overweight. Obesity is a problem in the U.S. and it seems to start at school.  Even though Placer County schools are making a positive change (no soda vending machines, balanced school meals, more physical education classes required etc), many students are still eating unhealthily.  Many high schools in the county have fast food restaurants within walking distance, which, paired with some school’s ‘open campus’ policy, leads to an increase in fast food consumption among this age group. Especially since they are popular hangout locations for friends.

                The final trend that I learned about was unrelated to substance abuse, but is still affecting the health of kids everywhere. Air pollution has had a serious impact on children’s health. More kids have respiratory problems or diseases, and that has been directly connected to the county’s increases in traffic and industry biproducts. One of the positive things that has resulted in the county has actually been a decrease in these problems relative to the total population. There are more “Clean Air” days, where commuter traffic is hindered and public transportation is discounted to encourage carpooling. More state and federal regulations on industry has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the content and amount of air pollution they emit. As a result, children are healthier and live a better standard of life.