Social Learning Theory & Teaching Adolescents - Research Paper Example

Client Group A client group refers to a group of people or organization, with a common characteristic, eligible to get services from another person or an agency. The services can either be received directly or indirectly through the agency. In health sector, client groups include adolescents, adults, infants and elderly people whose health status may be at risk either due to their age, activity, gender, geographic location and socioeconomic status. This paper focuses on the health problems that young adult in the United States of America experience and how they perceive them.

Young adults refer to persons between the age of 18 and 24 years. Young adulthood as a stage occurs after adolescence when most young people begin to be independent. Although young adulthood is expected to end at 24 years, there is no clear event that marks it end (Park and Adam, 2006). At this age, most of the young adults are usually employed and have some source of income to take for their financial requirements. However, the health problems that young adults experience in the US are usually similar in spite of their age, gender and socio economic status.

The health problems faced by this group range from mental to physical and psychological. The most threatening health problem that this group faces is mental problem which often leads to suicide. In the US, the suicide rate of young adults aged between 18 and 24 have tripled that of adolescents with the rate of males being six times that of females. These suicide cases have been attributed to health disorders that usually begin at age 24. According to researches, between the age of 18 and 24, over 50 per cent of young adults often experience mental disorder, with alcohol abuse and depression being the most common (World Health Organization, 2010).

A part from mental disorder, young adults in the US also experience problems in their reproductive health. At this age most young adults are sexually experienced but most of them do not use contraceptives. In the US, most of the young adults use withdrawal method or no method at all and have more than one partner. This behavior therefore exposes them to sexually transmitted infections and has thus become a significant health problem for most people in this group. The STIs have had serious consequences, such pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, organ damage and urethritis amongst members of this group.

It is also at this period (young adulthood) that sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia are prevalent. HIV AIDS is also common in young adulthood (Park and Adam, 2006). Obesity is also a significant health problem amongst young adults with most cases leading to death. Obesity is often caused is by poor health and physical inactivity, and is associated with cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In the US, the prevalence of obesity among young adults is high with that of females being much higher.

For example, between 2005 and 2006, 25% of young adults were obese (Park and Adam, 2006). In spite of the threats posed by sexually transmitted diseases, most young adults in the United States of America have continued to have unprotected sex. Through self awareness programs conducted by the government and other non governmental organizations, young adults and other groups have been informed about the dangers of the STIs but have ignored the teachings. Most young adults are concerned about the health problems associated with unprotected sex but lack the ability to take control of their sexual activities.

References Park M. Jane, Mulye Paul Tina and Adams H. Sally (2006). The Health Status of Young Adults in the United States (Volume 39, Issue 3, Pages 305-317) .University of California: California. World Health Organization (2010). Young People: Health Risks and Solutions. Retrieved on 9th May, 2011 from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs345/en/index.html