Gaming For Teen Health Education

The history of Health and Human Services in the United States is being “rocked” by the same thing that is creating waves of change and bewilderment in higher education: technology. The community health issues in rural communities are particularly impoverished by few well-trained personnel. What is offered to teen agers might not meet the needs of the community. Therefore larger organizations have taken to the internet. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a very robust location on their website called “BAM! Body and Mind”. At this site teens are prompted: “Got a Question?” as in “Got milk?”

The number of ways this site engages young people includes videos of cartoon heros such as “The Immune Platoon”. They overcome the enemy, Lethargo, requesting help from teens to be active and chomp on fresh fruit and vegetables. There are also links to other activities including games such as “Smile Style”. This game asks that users choose elements in the window that will give them a great smile and trash the items that will not do so. Another United State government site with similar material offers teens different games that cover the topics of “Alcohol and Peer Pressure”, “Body Parts”, recipes for cooking (!) and also “It’s My Life”. This particular site invites teens to share, by writing, their inner thoughts about their lives and experiences. 

The need for training for health educators in public schools was address in another article. One particular study by Herman and Lohmann addressed instructional strategies for training those who will be teaching health to teens. Though they felt there was a need to use various methods of instruction, technology was certainly among those they listed. “It behooves health education curriculum developers to consider moving beyond the time-tested medium of video into more advanced technologies that can be designed to simulate real-world situations where participants learn to apply decision making and other health skills” (Herman, Lohmann 2011).

 

One other article talked about teens in Native American communities where there are no traditional means for broad discussion of health topics with this age group. Therefore, those working with teens are using the “media technologies, including the Internet, cell phones, and video games, offering new avenues to reach Native youth on sensitive health topics” (Craig, Stephens 2012). American teen agers need to be engaged in health and safety issues. The Health and Human Services professionals are the ones who try to reach this group. It is interesting and encouraging that technology can be used to advance this communication of need information.

 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/bam/

Craig, R. S., & Stephens, D. (January 01, 2012). Tribal recommendations for designing culturally appropriate technology-based sexual health interventions targeting Native youth in the Pacific Northwest. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research (online), 19, 1, 76-101.

Herbert P, Lohmann D. (2011) It’s all in the delivery! An analysis of instructional strategies from effective health education curricula. The Journal of School Health, 81(5), 258-264.

KIDS.US.gov/teens-home/play-games-health-and-safety/index.shtml