Underage Drinking - Research Paper Example

Running Head: UNDERAGE DRINKING Nicole Bonar DRPH8004 – Dr. Angelo Giaradino May 28, Underage Drinking The present age of innovation, technological advancements and growth mark an era of progress in the entire world. Such progress has also benefitted the public health sector in the various regions. The increasing developments in the capacity of information technology have provided the practitioners newer ways and opportunities to deal with the increasing health concerns and monitoring the health dimensions in a community. The public health informatics have been able to provide exact and timely data regarding patients, diseases and are able to figure out the solutions to the serious health diseases. Underage drinking has been one of the very common health issues that have been emerging across the world these days. Almost all the cultures around the world make use of alcohol perhaps since the ancient times. The social use of alcohol consumption may be beneficial to and harmless to some people. However, alcohol possesses intrinsic abilities to be a threat to the health if not consumed in the moderate and safe fashion. It is a depressant and tends to depress the activities of brain and imposes direct effects on other parts of the body. This paper will discuss the issues of public health in relation to the underage drinking in great detail. It will elaborate upon the public health dimensions, leadership, and various tools to control the serious health issues as underage drinking. Introduction The concept of health care has become one of the major issues in the present age. Along with the introduction of technology and enhanced availability of resources, the public health sector is also look at for the purpose of creating innovations and further improvements. The increasing developments in the capacity of information technology have provided the practitioners newer ways and opportunities to deal with the increasing health concerns and monitoring the health dimensions in a community. Considering all the factors involved in the public healthcare, this paper highlights the issue of underage drinking with reference to the various issues that are countered by the practitioners in managing public health issues. Public Health Practice The workforce involved in public health, the public health activity, and the whole system of the public health provides a well-defined structure of the public health practice. The activities involved in the public health system are applied to prevent disability and disease and this defines the concept further. The practices of public health mainly focus the health of groups of population in aggregate, or of community or family. One of the significant features of such practices includes acknowledging the fact that the health of a community is even greater than the natural determinants of the health of an individual. A precise and well structured definition of the concept of public health was provided by Winslow in 1923. According to him, Public health is “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts for the sanitation of the environment, the control of community infections, the education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene, the organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, and the development of social machinery which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health”. (p. 58) Underage Drinking One of the very common issues of the present day is the problem of underage drinking. This occurs at an age when children make transition from adolescence to young adulthood, and they begin encountering various dramatic changes in emotions, physique, and lifestyle. Moreover, the developmental transitions, including the phases such as increasing independence and puberty are connected with the utilization of alcohol. There are various other risk factors which contribute to the increasing problem of underage drinking across the world. Some adolescents take up this dangerous habit for the sake of seeking thrill and adventures. Some other individuals utilize alcohol for the experiences of getting pleasure out of the drinking habits. However, there are many underage individuals who drink to get rid of their depression, anxiety, stress or any other psychological pressures. Others may have developed tolerance for the alcohol consumption or adopted it as their hereditary factors (NIAAA, 2006). Youth chose alcohol to consume as the drug of their selection. According to the research studies, the adolescents across the world drink alcohol in large amounts. For instance, during the year 2002, an annual survey was conducted by Monitoring the Future, which observed the youth. The results indicated that two-thirds of 10th graders, over three-fourths of 12th graders, and almost half of 8th graders have consumed the drugs, specifically alcohol, at any point in their lives. Not only this, but the survey also showed that they drank heavily. The underage consumers of alcohol belong to the age ranges of 12 and 17 years and their alcohol intake per occasion is 4 to 5 drinks which happen about 5 times each month (NIAAA, 2006). The problem of underage drinking can end up with disastrous outcomes which can comprise of various negative long and short-term costs. These include the social, academic problems, and physical problems such as illnesses; unprotected, unwanted sexual activity; sexual and physical assault; problems relating to memory; augmented risk of homicide and suicide; car crashes related to alcohol and various other injuries which are unintentional. Finally, the poisoning from alcohol consumption can be a fatal cause of death too (NIAAA, 2004). Effective uses of information technology in public health practice The concept of Public Health is one of the issues of vital significance. It refers to the science connected with the improvement and protection of health of people living in communities. This is done with the help of promoting their lifestyles, providing them education, and researching upon the prevention of injuries and diseases. The professionals and experts working in the field of public health evaluate the effects of the personal choice, genetic health, and the selection of environment for the purpose of developing programs that work for the betterment of the health of community and family. The innovation of various technologies and sciences has brought a revolution in the segment of public health. The problem of underage drinking in the modern times is being solved with the help of technology which is utilized by the professionals to curb the adverse issue. The introduction of hand-held identification card scanners is made useful by the various businesses in Colorado Springs. This pertains to a program which is undertaken to scrabble out the underage drinkers. These scanners are indeed the latest weapon which is used in the arsenal of enforcement of law and functioning of businesses. They are developed for the scanning of magnetic strip on the identification cards of bar or restaurant’s patron and can interpret the embedded information. The translated information is later communicated through a video screen to a bouncer or doorman, and permits them for the quick, perfect confirmation that the holder of the card is old enough to consume alcohol. In this way, the technology eliminates the danger of unintentionally letting the minor admit into a concern which is only legitimate for the adults over the age of 21 (Press Release, 2012). The strategies to curb the issue of underage drinking also include the law enforcements against the sale of alcohol to minors. Their access to alcohol should be reduced and the retailers should also be licensed and kept check of regarding complying by the laws and standards. Generally, the licensed and responsible retailers, adhering to the laws, are made subjects of the most effective and efficient strategies. Sources of inequality that produce health disparities across diverse populations The costs posed to the healthcare sector in the United States of America are constantly rising and escalation to get out of control. The country had spent over spent 15.3 percent during the year 2003 and this expenditure on the health care is assumed and anticipated to reach beyond 26 percent by 2030 (Hengameh, 2010). There have been substantial disparities in the public health which are reported by the public health practice literature and research policy. These disparities occur in the morbidity, risk factors, quality of life and the life expectancy along with the perseverance of these disparities among the population segments. There are various sources of inequalities which produce the health disparities across the population. They include the unfairness and racial inequality which has been afflicting the western society, such as United States, for a long time now. The racial disparities have continued to permeate the public health system for the treatment of injured, sick, and dying even after the introduction of 1964 Civil Rights Act. Apart from this, there are other sources that are equally troubling sources of the health disparities. They include the lack of resources and attention towards the promotion of the wellness and health in the communities. Moreover, it has been confirmed by the U.S. government that the ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic disparities have been constantly observed within almost all the aspects of health care which also includes access, quality, clinical conditions and the types of care. Effective public health leadership Leadership is the major aspect of any organizational unit or corporate structure. The problem of underage drinking is being solved with the help of effective leaderships, coalitions and combined efforts of the societal elements in various regions. In this aspect there are certain programs which have also been initiated in order to help deal with the problem of the underage drinking in the social viewpoint. For instance, much resource material has been produced by the Security Council (2001), which works with the purpose of assisting different colleges launch effective and adequate programs for the reduction of the alcohol abuse. In fact, through the leadership of various authorities and with their combined efforts, an interactive program on the college level is developed for the purpose of deterring underage purchases of alcohol. Besides other measures, a recent study has been undertaken by the Centre on Alcohol Marketing and Youth during the year 2003. In this study, the “responsibility advertising” by the alcohol industry was studied and observed. According to the reports, it was discovered that the industry spent $23.2 million for the purpose of airing the responsibility messages which were aimed at discouraging the concept of underage drinking and drunk driving at mass level. Moreover, there are the public health leaders which have lately forced the alcohol industry to donate a separate and effective foundation for the purpose of reducing the habit of drinking amongst young people. The committees established by the public health leaders also believe in focusing exclusively on the reduction and prevention of the alcohol consumption amongst the youngsters mostly in the Western countries. Besides all such steps taken to curb this bad habit form the society, there are various coalitions which have been initiated to eliminate the problem. Few of them are listed below: The Connecticut Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking The Louisiana Alliance to Prevent Underage Drinking The National Capital Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking (Washington, DC) The North Carolina Initiative to Reduce Underage Drinking The Oregon Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking Pennsylvanians Against Underage Drinking The Puerto Rico Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking Factors of population-based health status and behavior The distinguishing element of the public health practice and community, while comparing to the general medical practice, is the focus on population’s health. The population-based approach utilizes a well-defined segment of community or population in the form of arranged standard for adopting the actions which are preventive and centre on the widespread distribution of the determinants of health and disease. The following figure depicts the model of population based practice in the public health: Figure 1: Public Health Practice The figure above depicts that the population-based approach of public health practice clearly transcends the level of an individual. The trends of the alcohol consumption are affected by the physical and social setting for the underage drinking. In case of young people, a substantially higher number of drinks is usually consumed when, while drinking, there are two or more people present instead of a person drinking alone. During the year 2010, it was reported that more than 80 percent of youth had average monthly consumption of alcohol in the presence of at least two other people (SAMHSA, 2010). The role of systems thinking in public health program planning, implementation, evaluation, and revision The concept of systems thinking pertains to the capability and proficiency associated with the future- oriented decision making and problem solving. The literal approach of the systems thinking refers to the procedure of understanding the influence and impact of things on each other in a complete segment. This conceptual approach of systems thinking applies in the sector of public health as well. The population health has been getting better with the passage of time and it needs the changing and understanding of the functions and structures of society. It reflects the adaptive complexity which is built in the public health systems. There are ecological models contained in the system thinking and the practitioners in the field of public health are familiar with the entire process. This involves the issues of the social determinants of public health, the elements of population health, and the ideas of human ecology. In the public health structure, the system thinking concept offers the health practitioners with the new and powerful viewpoints, a specialized language, and a set of tools which can be utilize to consider ands solve the most typical concerns in the public health sector. It provides the people with sophisticated manner of understanding and interpreting the prevailing issues in the society or community and stresses upon the relationships and networks amongst the part of systems. In the present times of advancements, growth and innovation, the role of public health informatics is also significant. The fundamental stress of this source is on the proper and sophisticated application of information science and technology which possess the capability of promoting and enhancing the health of the entire community instead of focusing on the health improvement of just individuals. While performing its part as a discipline, the public health sector centres on the community’s health collectively, while in the region’s health care setting, the primary block of consideration of the segment is an individual possessing a particular condition or diseases (Yasnoff, Patrick, 2000). The internal and external environments in which the organizations, society and health systems function have become very complex and dynamic. This complexity and dynamism creates opportunities and problems which need responsive systems and organisations that are capable of regulating and fitting into changes. The phases engaged in the evolution and progresses of system thinking are being adapted by the public health capacity and the modelling approaches accompanying the public health are being largely utilized. One of the very good examples of the current issue is ISIS, which is a task of the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the US National Cancer Institute (Scott, 2008). It was the aim of ISIS to investigate the fact whether the system thinking approach and model can be adequately used to serve as a basis for further efficient efforts of public health to fight the use of tobacco. It was determined to be utilized particularly to cope up with the countervailing factors including the efforts of the tobacco industry. The public health community needs to plan and develop the programs for the benefits of the society and needs to implement and valuate it according to the requirements in order to gain fruitful results. Public health action research The term, Action research, is described as the changes in the society, which advances through the recurring phases of planning, acting, reflecting, and evaluating. The concept is utilized in the capacity of public health for the purpose of alleviating the unfavourable circumstances in society by focusing upon the community-wide interventions, determinants of health, and health promotion. It pertains to such a research process which engages the participation of community and the problems are taken into consideration in order to seek solutions. It observes the ultimate involvement of the community and the individuals in the process of decision making regarding the health issues, and discourages the elimination of the community from the entire process of making decisions. One of the major approaches in the public health segment is the Participatory Action Research (PAR). This type of research is distinguished from many other approaches in the field of the public health research. This is due to the reason that this research model and approach is founded upon the techniques of reflection, data gathering and compiling, and selecting and adopting the measures that exist with the purpose of the health improvement and reduction of health disparities with the help of the community involvement, through which the people participate in the process of improving their own health. The participatory action research takes into account the reflection of the investigation regarding the type of knowledge and the degree which indicates the representation of the knowledge for the interests of the influential and its services to support their positions in the social structure. The action research also guarantees that the foundation of knowing comes from the experience and that the empirical learning is able to command and lead the individual to a legitimate stage of knowledge which is capable of influencing practice. The problem of underage drinking has reached heights in various regions of the world in the present time period. In order to eliminate the problem completely form the society, the society and the public health practitioners need to work along with the government and make the action research useful for the purpose. The process of the action research for a specific issue, as underage drinking, may begin from the determination of the concern in the public health sector, the gathering of evidences, their analysis, and then seeking the appropriate measures to apply them on the community. The utilization of workable strategies and the effective usage of information technology can possibly be used for the purpose of data analysis and to extract exact results of research from the available information. In such a context of public health sector which presents inequalities and imbalances in the resource provision and performance of public health care activities, planning an action research and implementing the information technology models would be one of the improved ways to address the issues of the community on aggregate level. The participatory action research performed at the community levels regarding the concerns of public health considers and gives attention to the power relationships, promoting the autonomy to be intentionally divided and shared between the researched and the researcher, and making the line between them vague until the researched become the researchers. This can be one of the advantages of the process that the researched people or objects ultimately become the partners in the entire research process and assist in a successful completion of the project. The selection of the research topic, data collection, and analysis and deciding upon the course of action marks the completion of the research process. Conclusion The public health sector is one of the significant players in maintaining the health of a community’s population in the region. The concept of public health stresses upon the improvement of the health of the entire community’s population instead of focusing on the health of individuals as a single unit. In order to maintain an effective public health system, the health practitioners and institutions need to install efficient, accurate, timely, and perfect resources, and a good amount of information on various issues needs to be obtained. The issue of underage drinking has been taking toll in many western regions of the world. The public health practitioners are required to develop effective health leadership and deploy sufficient resources in order to build up the health solutions for the community. References Danial Goleman, 2001, Primal Leadership: The Hidden Drivers of Great Performance, Harvard Business Review E Richard Brown, 2000, Income inequalities and health disparities, West J Med., BMJ publishing Group, Print. Hengameh Hosseini, (2010),"Strategies to contain the high and rising costs of health: Will they increase existing health care disparities and are they ethical?", Humanomics, Vol. 26 Issue:2 pp. 112 – 123 Institute of Medicine, The Future of Public Health, National Academy of Science, p.58 Louis Rowitz, 2009, Public Health Leadership: Putting Principles into Practice, Jones & Bartlett Learning NIAAA, 2004, Understanding Underage Drinking, Web, Retrieved on May 12, 2012 NIAAA, 2006, Underage Drinking, Alcohol Research & Health, Volume 28, Number 3, Print. Press release, 2012, Technology Joins the Fight to Stop Underage Drinking in Colorado, Web, Retrieved on May 12, 2012 Scott J. Leischow,2008, Systems Thinking to Improve the Public’s Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Published by Elsevier Inc., Print. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2008, Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, Office of Applied, Web, Retrieved on May 12, 2012 William A. Yasnoff, Patrick W. O’Carroll, 2000, Public Health Informatics: Improving and Transforming Public Health in the Information Age, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Print. Read More