Health in young people- influences and how we can take control of it

Elora Guirguis
Jan 31, 2022
5 min read

Author: Elora Guirguis

Good health - can mean a lot of things. We could be talking mental, physical, emotional. Regardless, it is essential for young people to establish good health before adulthood. fAll too often, however, we talk about what health is and how we want our dream body, to be happy all the time, to be "that person" who wakes up at 6 am every morning to work out and meditate and sip on a cup of iced coffee.

But - we are constantly missing very important aspects of said health! To understand how we can increase our health, we must first find what influences it?

There are many factors that influence the decisions people make about their health and risk behaviours today. Although it should be considered that there are many factors that are not within people’s control - especially those who are young. This can include family’s wealth/income, their cultural background, religion and the environment in which they live. These disadvantages limit people’s choices and their ability to make good decisions relating to health. There are, however, still a number of factors which young people can have some control over to help them make better decisions for their health.

Firstly, the level of knowledge and education people have about health can have a large impact on the skills, values and attitudes towards the decisions they make about their health. For example, young people who have been educated about safe sex behavours are able to make better decisions and, therefore, prevent getting STI’s. Those who

Secondly, the contextual factors that influence the decisions young people make about their health are linked to the social and economic environments in which they live - this factor in itself impacts many other factors. Groups that experience lower levels of health are normally those who are disadvantaged as a result of coming from environments where there is little money, poor access to healthcare, low levels of education, high unemployment and poor physical, social and emotional support.

Another factor influencing health-related decisions is the level of support (young) people receive from their family, friends and peers, as well as their access to health services and ability to interpret health information; without these, they would be left to make decisions on their own.

Sociocultural factors also have an impact on people’s ability to make positive decisions about their health; this includes family influences, peers, culture, media, income, social expectations of gender and employment - these relate to the social and cultural conditions people experience.

Family: this is a very significant factor as young people generally look up to their parents on the things that they do, influencing what they think is right and wrong. We understand what is appropriate behaviour as our culture, lifestyles and values are formed because of family and their expectations.
Culture and religion: A person’s cultural background and religion can influence their decisions about their diet, level of physical activity, sexual activity, ability to access support services and attitudes to drug use. Typically, immigrants in Australia withhold their beliefs on these ideas much stronger

Gender and societal expectations also have a significant impact: Gender stereotypes have an impact on young people’s beliefs about how they should behave and relate to others. Research shows that young men can be pressured to and are more likely to take risks with their health and safety (e.g. speeding) than young women, thus negatively impacting their health. They can also have a negative impact on young women’s health; for example, the media's common portrayal of female beauty correlating with being thin can influence a girl’s self image, and thus contribute to higher rates of eating disorders in young women.
Peer group: A person’s peer group can have a positive or negative impact on decisions about young people’s health and risk-taking behaviours. If your friends are caring, responsible and supportive, and they value health, then they are more likely to have a positive influence on a person’s decisions about your health. However, within some peer groups people are not supportive of each other. They engage in risky behaviours such as binge drinking and unsafe road behaviours and may therefore encourage others to do so too.
Community: Every community plays an important role in influencing the health of individuals as it can provide and promote services to individuals, providing opportunities for individuals and groups to make connections, and to encourage healthy and active lifestyle choices. Community plays a role in environmental factors (such as air quality), education of health in schools, and many more factors!

Values:

Young people who have good values are more likely to consider the consequences of their behaviours for others and themselves.

Now we know what factors of our lives are imperative to our health, lets have a look at what we, young people, can do to promote healthy living in our lives!

There are many things that can be done to increase one’s individual empowerment and to take more control over their health. Despite the factors which cannot be controlled/prevented, Individuals still have control over many behaviours that can influence their health and wellbeing.

Firstly, physical activity is vital in maintaining good health as it can reduce cardiovascular risk factors, protect against some forms of cancer, strengthens the musculoskeletal system, and improves mental wellbeing by reducing symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety. Through these improvements, self-confidence, self-esteem, energy levels, sleep quality and ability to concentrate can all increase. All of these factors increase individual empowerment Rather than staying home and going on technology, young people can go for a half-an-hour walk/run.

Nutrition is a protective factor against many diseases such as coronary heart disease hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes and many forms of cancer. People can aim to eat a well-balanced, nutritious and healthy diet, as well as limit the amount of unhealthy food they eat.

Good sun protection choices are also very important; individuals can adopt skin cancer prevention measures, such as wearing sunscreen, a hat, a shirt that covers their skin, sunglasses, and sitting in the shade during the highest UV danger parts of the day. Consequently, they can reduce their chances of experiencing sun-related skin damage and cancer
Substance use (e.g smoking, alcohol and other drugs) can cause a range of health and social problems, both in the short term and longer term. The avoidance of the use of these products can have a great positive impact on an individuals health, and therefore increase their individual empowerment.
Sexual health can be protected by the knowledge and use of safe sexual practices to prevent STIs and contraception to prevent pregnancy by an individual, enabling them to take more control over their health.
Individuals also must be willing to educate themselves, such as through research, on ways regarding how they can improve their health and thus have a significant impact on their individual empowerment. They should be able to access support like through support groups when needed to sustain their health as well.

As well as this, creating a supportive, wider environment is important in enhancing health by providing a safe environment to make good decisions for an individual's health. This includes environments that make it easy and safe to participate in physical activity, make healthy food choices and ensure that decisions around sexual behaviours are made with knowledge and support. It can also help an individual work, study and relax at home. Creating these good environments encourage people to make better choices by providing them with a sense of encouragement and support. For example, studying equipment on someone's study desk will encourage them and help make it easier to participate in this activity (to study).