Adolescent health care subject at Rotary
, Managing Editor
07-02-2008
Becky Lucas gives talk on teen health issues at Rotary Club
Yesterday Becky Lucas of Ennis Children’s Clinic spoke to the Rotary Club of Ennis about adolescent health care, covering all aspects from regular checkups to immunizations.
“These kids need checkups,” Lucas said about teens. “We need to get some information on them.”
Lucas, a past president of the Ennis Noon Lions Club, said checkups are an important tool in evaluating the health and wellness of teenagers.
The goal of a checkup, according to Lucas, is to foster a relationship between the healthcare provider and patient, to gather physical findings regarding the patient’s blood pressure, height, weight, vision, hearing, academic level, social status and need for immunizations, and to teach teens to become responsible for their own healthcare, lifestyle and goal setting.
“We can pick up on depression a lot of the time and anxiety issues in a patient,” Lucas said.
Regarding academics, Lucas said the healthcare provider looks into how the patient is doing socially in school, what kind of educational issues the patient is dealing with, such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), learning disabilities including dyslexia, emotional disturbances and autism, and career planning so the patient can transition from adolescence to adulthood.
“Basically why we give kids drugs for ADHD is so they will like themselves and their teachers will like them,” Lucas said.
The immunizations Lucas said were important for teenagers to receive were for Hepatitis A, Varicella, Menactra and Gardasil.
Hepatitis A is a viral illness that occurs from contaminated food. Lucas said there is a high rate of Hepatitis A in Ellis County that is most dangerous for small children.
The Varicella immunization is for chickenpox, which if contracted when you are an adult can be fatal, according to Lucas.
The Menactra immunization prevents bacterial meningitis.
Probably the most topical immunization is the Gardasil.
The immunization prevents cervical cancer in girls, but Lucas said it does nothing to fertility.
Lucas also said 90 percent of people 30 years and younger have Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the immunization is given in three shots within a six-month timeframe.
Boys carry the virus but girls contract the cancer. Lucas said eventually even boys will be receiving the immunization due to the virus showing up in males’ throats.
Some current emerging illnesses in adolescents include obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and STDs, Lucas said.
The Rotary Club of Ennis meets Tuesday at noon at the Ennis Country Club.
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