DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES                                     SPRING 2009

California State University, Chico                                                                                                               

HCSV 363-03 CHILD HEALTH

TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM in Plumas 102

Instructor: Dr. Mary Rushka

OFFICE:                                 BUTTE 606

OFFICE HOURS:                  Tues. 10-12; Thurs. 11-12 or by appointment

PHONE:                                 898-4620 

HCSV DEPT. OFFICE          Butte 607

EMAIL:                                  Please send all email to me through VISTA; only VISTA email will be acknowledged.

 

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.

 

REQUIRED COURSE READING MATERIALS:

 

1)         Most of the course readings are available on the weekly VISTA lesson page. 

2)         Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (available at Student Bookstore and in other retail booksellers.  This was Chico State’s Book in Common for 2007-08.

2)         Supplemental readings are available at Mr. Kopy, Main Street.

 

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 AND GRADING

 

            This section of Child Health will meet both in the classroom AND on VISTA.  VISTA is an online environment that will supplement our course through the use of course content,* discussion, dedicated email, and course calendar. Each student must log on at least weekly and complete all online activities/assignments in order to successfully fulfill the course requirements.   You may find this course on your Chico State Portal page.

 

You are required to complete each module’s readings, whether online or from course packet, BEFORE the week’s classes begin.  Reading of Mountains beyond Mountains should be completed by March 30th. There will be a quiz and book discussion following.  Please come to class prepared to ask questions, comment on what you're reading and demonstrate motivation to learn through active participation.

 

            *Availability of course materials online is NOT COMPREHENSIVE and will NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR ATTENDANCE IN CLASS.  Roll will be taken each class meeting and students who accumulate 3 or more absences will have their course grade reduced by one grade.

 

 Specific course requirements include:

 

60-point Projects:  There will be five short projects (worth 60 points each) designed to help you perform directed research in selected child health issues.  These projects will usually be completed in class, often in working groups.  All directions for completing these assignments will be given in class, as will announcement of project dates.

 

Quizzes:          Come prepared to take a short quiz on most Tuesdays.  Quizzes will cover the previous week’s material.  No make-ups.

 

Examinations:  There will be one final examination consisting of essay, multiple choice and true/false questions. You will need a #882 Scantron and a #2 pencil. 

 

Term Project:   There will be one Term Project per student.  You may choose one of two subject areas in order to complete this assignment.  One choice is to research and write a paper about a developing country’s health status, inspired by the book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, then present this topic to the class.  The other choice is to describe in a written paper and teach the class about a specific child health problem (disease, disability, syndrome, etc.)  Paper is due April 7.  NOTE: BOTH PROJECT CHOICES INCLUDE A CLASSROOM PRESENTATION.  WORKING IN GROUPS OF 2 OR 3 ON A COMMON PRESENTATION IS ENCOURAGED.  Presentations will be scheduled at a later date.  You will receive further information and guidelines for these projects in class.  

 

Playground Observation:       Visit a local playground and observe the following: 

 

 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.

 

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 or MLA style guidelines.  BE SURE TO COMPLETE AND ATTACH THE PLAYGROUND SAFETY CHECKLIST FOUND IN YOUR READING PACKET.

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

 

ASSIGNMENTS POLICY

 

To obtain full credit, papers must be submitted IN CLASS on the day they are due.  Late papers will automatically receive a 5 point reduction for EVERYDAY late past the due date. 

There will be no make-up for in-class assignments (and most of these are worth 60 points); if a student is not in class to complete the assignment, s/he will not receive those points. 

 

The only exception to the above policy will be in the case of a documented emergency.

 

EVALUATION/GRADES

 

PROJECT                                                      POINTS POSSIBLE

 

1.         Five in-class projects                                        300

 

2.         Quizzes                                                            100

 

3.         Final exam                                                        100

 

4.         Playground Observation                                    100

 

5.         Term Project                                                    100

            TOTAL                                                           700

 

LIFE HAPPENS POINTS

  • Unexpected events occur in all our lives.  Sometimes our schedules are interrupted with rather insignificant events such as a last-minute work schedule change, a power outage, or a vehicle malfunction.  Other times the unforeseen event is serious; a close friend dies, a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness, or you might be in an accident.  Events such as these might result in you missing a module's work.  Life does happen. 
  • Therefore, since life happens, at the end of the semester, I will add ten points to everyone's grade.  If you complete all the course work, these added points will be extra credit points.

 

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

IMPORTANT DATES – Transfer these to your course calendar!

 

Term Project (paper only) due Tuesday, April 7th in CLASS. Presentation dates TBA.

 

Playground Observation paper due: Tuesday, May 5th in class.

 

Final Exam: Tuesday, May 19th;  time TBA. 

 

Weekly readings are accessible through links on the VISTA lesson page for that week AND in Course Reading Packet. 

 

Dates of supplemental lectures and events related to child health will be posted on your VISTA calendar and/or discussed in class.  I encourage everyone to let us know of any related events or broadcasts of interest to our class.