California State University, Chico
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
HCSV 363 - CHILD HEALTH
Instructor: Dr. Mary Rushka
EMAIL: mrushka@csuchico.edu/ (better to use this course's email...)
OFFICE: BUTTE 606
OFFICE HOURS: TR 1 - 3 PM or by appointment
PHONE: 898-4620
HCSV DEPT. OFFICE Butte 607
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE:
This course is part of the Upper Division Theme: The Child. For this course to count towards the theme, you must have already completed 45 semester units.
Child Health is an examination of the status, needs and trends in the health of America 's children, including selected racial/ethnic groups. This course will present an overview of physical growth and development from prenatal period to early adolescence and include discussion of common health problems, causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention. The course will also address selected health issues such as diet, physical activity, stress, violence, drugs, sexuality, and environmental risks faced by today's children. An overview of historical, current and potential health services and prevention programs for children will be given.
COURSE READING MATERIALS:
All weekly required readings are contained within the WebCT course pages. Each week’s lesson includes a Power Point presentation and several links to required readings. Please complete all readings before the end of the week AND before writing your weekly discussion question posting.
THEME OBJECTIVES:
This course, Child Health, includes principles and current knowledge from the Natural Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences. The theme objectives will be met by using at least five of the six unifying concepts (the six Es).
1. Epistemology: Students will explore alternative explanations of how children come to know or comprehend the nature of the physical universe and social world in which they live.
2. Evolution: Students will investigate whether or not childhood and notions of childhood have actually evolved, and if they have, in what manner. They also will delve into one the great controversies of the past three centuries: the contributions of heredity and environment to the development of thought, behavior, and personality. Finally, students will consider whether childhood is a true developmental stage in the ontogeny of an adult or merely a social construction of wealthy cultures.
3. Economics: Students will consider the distribution of both wealth and power in a society and its implications for children and the nature of the impact of economic factors upon children and their development (especially the extremes of poverty and bounty).
4. Ethnicity: Students will focus on questions such as the pros and cons of raising children to maintain their ethnic identities in pluralistic societies, and whether or not homogeneous societies are preferable to heterogeneous ones.
5. Experience: Students will explore the significance of early experience and the extent to which early experiences set a child on a more or less irrevocable path, and the influence of numerous socializing agents in society (e.g., parents, teachers, peers), and experience in general.
6. Epidemiology: Students will study the factors that determine the origin, frequency, and distribution of diseases in children. They will also learn ways to alter these factors to prevent or delay negative health outcomes.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The student will be able to:
1. List the types of research utilized in the study of the health of the child and distinguish the scientific method from hearsay in interpreting material written about the health of children.
2. Discuss the status and trends in the health of America 's children with special attention to selected national studies.
3. Distinguish the differences in health status and need among ethnic and racial subgroups and explore the variables affecting health status and need, giving special attention to the effects of poverty.
4. Describe the stages that influence the physical development of the child from conception to early adolescence, including genetic and environmental influences.
5. Analyze the genetic and cultural influences upon the development of sexuality of the child from conception to adolescence, including issues such as homosexuality, sex education and child sexual abuse.
6. List and discuss the common diseases and disorders occurring from conception to early adolescence: description, cause, prevalence, risk factors, symptoms, treatment, prevention and measures.
7. Analyze the major factors influencing the health of the child (early experience, diet, physical activity, accidents, stress, violence, drug use and sexuality) and be able to list ways that parents, teachers, community workers and policy makers can enhance health promotion behaviors.
8. Analyze the risks the physical environment places upon the health of the child and be able to discuss several advocacy efforts to counteract their negative influence.
9. Address social influences and public policy regarding the quality and availability of health services for children, including past, current, and future directions, with special attention to the impoverished.
10. Discuss the role of the parent, the school, the community and government programs and policies in enhancing the health of the child.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
This section of Child Health will meet exclusively on WebCT. WebCT is an online environment that requires each student to log on at least weekly and complete all activities/assignments within the time parameters specified on the course schedule in order to be successful. The course is divided into 15 content modules, one for each week of the semester. A new module “begins” on Monday of each week. All discussion postings and other assignments will be due on Sundays by midnight unless otherwise specified. It is your responsibility to read each week’s course material, participate in the weekly chat/discussion (with postings), and complete and submit all assignments as described below:
Bulletin Board Discussion: Each student is expected to engage in thoughtful dialogue with classmates on discussion questions posed by the instructor each week. The discussion questions can be located at the bottom of each week’s lesson. If you go to the “Discussions” area, you will see that there is a board corresponding to each week’s content. During the first week of class you will write a self-introduction on the discussion board. Subsequent discussions will be group efforts. Sometime during Week 2 you will be assigned to a team of 3 or 4 students. Together you decide when to meet in the Chat Room of your choice, schedule the meeting on our Course Calendar, and discuss the weekly question. ONE group member is then responsible for writing a summary of your online discussion on the weekly board. Each group is expected to post ONE message for each week and, when indicated, one posting in response to other students’ postings. Use reflective thought and documentation (evidence that you have read the week’s information) about each topic before engaging in discussion.
* Use complete sentences, correct grammar, and correct spelling.
* Be clear about whether you are using personal opinions or knowledge.
* You may be asked to use citations from the readings to document your postings.
Examinations: There will be two non-cumulative examinations; each will be accessible from the course Homepage (click on “Exam” icon). Exams will consist of multiple choice, matching and true/false questions and will be completed entirely in WebCT. More specific directions for taking the exams will be available from the “Exam” icon during exam weeks. You may also want to familiarize yourself with this WebCT tool on the tutorial.
1) physical development of the children;
2) layout and safety of the play equipment;
3)physical activity and interaction among children AND between children and adults;
4) gender differences demonstrated during play.
5) Conclude your paper by making some suggestions for improvement of this play environment.
. * Make certain to obtain permission from school office if you choose to observe an elementary school while in session.
Write your perceptions and summary (including suggestions for positive change) in a 2-page, double-spaced typed paper, using 12-pt font, written according to APA style guidelines.. BE SURE TO COMPLETE THE PLAYGROUND SAFETY CHECKLIST AVAILABLE HERE. SIMPLY INCORPORATE ITS RESULTS INTO YOUR PAPER. NO NEED TO SEND THE CHECKLIST VIA EMAIL ATTACHMENT - JUST THE PAPER.
Papers will be scored as follows:
All of the above (5) observations described adequately: 25 points
Meaningful use and incorporation of safety checklist: 25 points
Overall quality of paper’s content: 25 points
Presentation (grammar, punctuation, spelling) quality 25 points
TOTAL 100 points
OBJECTIVE: After reading the book, Mountains beyond Mountains, demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of the health of children in a developing country of your choice by collecting and analyzing available data relevant to its health and economic status. This analysis should describe the health & economic problems that children face in your selected country, how the living situation might impact a child’s particular developmental stage, and long and short term health effects. Demonstrate your ability to use professional journals and global health statistics to obtain information about child health in a developing country.
TASK (2-part): Choose from a list of “developing nations” and write a 4-page descriptive paper, 12 point font, double spaced, AND prepare a Power Point presentation for the class to review. You may work with a partner on this project or choose to complete one or both portions on your own.
CONTENT:
Use the guidelines below for the content of your paper. Include a reference list of at least 5 resources from scholarly journals or professional web sites. The paper must be typed in 12 point font, using the APA or MLA style of writing.
SUGGESTED INFORMATION TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PAPER:
Brief history of political system (include brief discussion of colonial history, if applicable).
Brief description of geographic characteristics – location, topography, climate.
Annual per capita income.
Sources of income (How do most people make their living?)
Does current political system affect the health care of citizens?
Current health care system (if any) or sources of health care – e.g., are there hospitals, health care centers, medical schools? How do people pay for care?
Volunteer agencies working to improve health?
Adult literacy rate
Life expectancy at birth
Maternal mortality rate
Leading causes of death (general population)
HIV/AIDS infection rate
What are the most common health problems (if different from causes of death) – e.g. , parasite infections, nutritional deficiencies.
What do people eat and how do they obtain food?
What are the important nutritional health issues?
HEALTH INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO CHILDREN
Infant mortality
Leading causes of death (children)
Breastfeeding rate
Malnutrition rate
Childhood immunization rates
SUMMARY PARAGRAPH
Answer the question: How does the health of children in your selected country compare to that of children in one of the settings/countries where Dr. Paul Farmer and Partners in Health provide health care?
The Power Point presentation should be a companion to your paper. With a minimum of 15 slides, appropriate material may include data charts, maps, photographs, news highlights, historical interest points, video, etc. The objective of this presentation is to teach your classmates about the status of children's health in your selected developing country. Be creative! All presentations will be posted and reviewed by your peer.
This is an assignment that students will POST on the Week 11 Discussion Board. You will be given a choice of writing prompts regarding the media's influence on kids' health. Each student will receive a list of the writing prompts later in the semester. The resultant assignment is a short essay paper that you post for everyone to read.
Important info for ALL papers: LATE PAPERS ARE SUBJECT TO A 5-PT DEDUCTION FOR EVERY DAY PAST THE DEADLINE. NO PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED MORE THAN 5 DAYS PAST DUE DATE. PAPERS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO ME THROUGH OUR WEBCT EMAIL AS MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT ATTACHMENTS, OR SENT AS HARD COPY BY POSTAL MAIL (DR. MARY RUSHKA, DEPARTMENT OF HCSV, CSUC, CHICO, CA 95929-0505) TO ARRIVE BY THE SPECIFIED DUE DATE. PLEASE DO NOT SEND PAPERS TO MY CAMPUS EMAIL. PLEASE DOUBLE SPACE AND TITLE YOUR PAPER. INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE OF THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT, FOR EXAMPLE “SUSAN SMITH, VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT PAPER.” USE APA CITATION FORMAT FOR PAPERS WHEN YOU EMPLOY OUTSIDE RESOURCES.
A note on academic honesty; I support the University’s zero tolerance for plagiarism of any kind on papers. Consequences for not citing sources or using someone else’s work are receiving zero credit on paper, failing the class and being called before Student Judicial Affairs, with the possibility of dismissal from the University.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
PROJECT POINTS POSSIBLE
1. Bulletin Board Discussion 300
2. Exam 1 50
3. Exam 2 50
4. Playground Observation 100
5. Media Critique 100
6. Mountains Project 100
TOTAL 700
Assignment of Course Grades
A = 658 - 700 A- = 630 - 657
B+ = 588 - 629 B = 582 - 587
B- = 560 - 581 C+ = 525 - 559
C = 519 - 524 C- = 490 - 518
D+ = 469 - 489 D = 420 – 468