Parents Beware!

Ok - so this may be a bit late in posting as the cinnamon challenge craze seems to have come and gone, however, the reason for posting is to again help us to understand our role in educating our student-athlete patient base with regard to healthy behaviors, and how the choices we make as individuals, ultimately carry consequences.

This article identifies several reasons for youth making decisions that are not the healthiest.  With the urge to want to 'fit in' with others, pressure may be placed upon a student to ultimately do something that they either didn't want to, or felt they needed to in order to be a part of a group.  Research has also suggested the area of the brain that is responsible for decision making and risk taking is not fully developed until we reach into our 20's.  Therefore, to only speak to a student-athlete about 'right vs wrong' decisions may not be the most appropriate way to assist.

It is my belief that just as we teach our children how to navigate through cognitive skills (ie. how to solve a math problem, how to answer an essay), we also need to teach them skills which may aid them in being a healthy individual --> ie. refusal skills, conflict resolution skills, and building self-confidence to name a few.  One way to do so is to offer a comprehensive health education program within the school district taught by a qualified individual.  What we do find, however, is that schools, due to a variety of reasons (budget, philosophy, accreditation needs) may not offer a comprehensive health program.  Just as it is vital that schools who offer athletics have a qualified, licensed individual take care of the athletes' health needs, we also need to ensure there are qualified individuals to teach health. 

Additionally, as athletic trainers, we must always keep in mind we have the ability to develop an atmosphere of trust.  As such, we are placed in a precarious situation, as we can either help or hinder situations based upon what we say or by expressing our values on a situation.  We need to be sure we bear in mind that our patients may hear what we say and make a decision based upon what we have said.  Let's be sure we send out positive, thoughtful and caring messages.