How Physical Activity Can Be Used For Substance Use Prevention Among Young People Essay

Depending on the sport that a child participates in, most sports require physical activity. Research has shown that “physical movement can affect the brain’s physiology by increasing cerebral capillary growth, blood flow, oxygenation, growth of nerve cells in the hippocampus, neurotransmitter levels, development of nerve connections, density of neural network, and brain tissue volume” (Donaldson 4). In other words, physical exercise causes short-term relaxation, improved concentration, enhanced creativity and memory, improved mood, and enhanced problem-solving abilities. Sport can help prevent drug and alcohol abuse by teaching young athletes to be aware of their body and how it responds to different stimuli and circumstances. Athletes learn to value what their bodies can do and to maintain those abilities (Jones 2). Being an athlete gives kids an acceptable reason to say no to drugs, alcohol, and other unhealthy behaviors when offered by their peers.

As a counselor in training and an advocate for individuals’ mental health and wellness, I chose to become an official member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and create an advocacy project to enhance adolescent mental health and wellness by advocating for more available protective factor to reduce substance use and abuse among this population. The purpose of this paper/project is to address and improve the rate of substance use and abuse among adolescents in Pitt County, more specifically in Greenville, North Carolina. This paper goes into great detail of the description of the population (adolescents), providing statistical evidence of adolescents’ use of drugs in Greenville. An increase in youth involved community activities, community service work and parental involvement will be discussed as ways to create a healthy, anti-drug, and stable environment for adolescents in Greenville, North Carolina.

Types and contexts of activities are variable and change with age during childhood and adolescence. Activities of children aged 6 to 9 years are largely anaerobic (as in non-sustained activities or games such as ‘‘tag’’), and they help the child learn basic and more specialized motor skills. As youth move into the pubertal transition (about age 10-14 years, earlier in girls than in boys), these skills are incorporated into a variety of individual and group activities and many organized sports. Mature structure and function are approached or attained in late adolescence (age 15-18 years), so that physical activity programs can be more structured.

Physical activity is an integral part of health and well being in children.Our bodies also require physical activity in order to be healthy.Understanding and supporting physical activity, will help children have the right foundation for a healthy and happy life.Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age promotes the growth if strong bones and muscles, help to develop good posture and balance, obesity risk and chronic disease risk infection are reduced.

Healthy People implemented an extensive list of physical activity objectives targeting youth of all ages. The objectives are all aimed at promoting the health benefits of maintaining a physically active life-style. The following objective targets a major area of concern for the medical community and the increase of inactivity among today's youth; “PA-8.2.2; Increase the proportion of children and adolescents aged 6 to 14 years who view television, videos, or play video games for no more than 2 hours a

Physical activity also has benefits for children's social and emotional development and cognitive development. These benefits include being part of a team and making friends through group sports, which have a major impact on social and emotional development. The effect of obesity on children is closely linked to many bad health habits such as diet, smoking and drug use which in turn can affect a child's academic performance (Goran et al., 1999). Physical activity, if encouraged at a young age, can reduce the likelihood of children developing these behaviours and focus on their academic performance and cognitive development. As children in this age range are in their fundamental development stage, it is important that educators and parents alike, teach children about the importance of physical activity at a young age in order to prevent health and social well-being problems in their adult years.

As mentioned previously, exercise is seen as one of the cornerstones of a healthy life. A review of 86 scientific papers concerning exercise benefits in school age children, conducted by Janssen and Leblanc, found that children aged 15-17 “should accumulate an average of at least 60 minutes per day and up to several hours of at least moderate intensity physical activity”(Janssen and Leblanc, 1). In fact, even a more modest level of activity would be sufficient in battling health risks, such as

One may be astonished to discover that in 2012 “..about 17 percent of American high school students were drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day” and this number has remained relatively stagnant throughout the years (Kuczynski-Brown). The amount of students who take part in the illegal acts of drinking, smoking, and drug use has been difficult to combat. Students do not understand that these substances can result in harmful consequences down the road. This is why it is imperative that, as a society, we begin looking for solutions to defeat these harmful habits, and sometimes, addictions. The earlier we begin to inculcate the effects of these substances on the young, the better. That is why the prime-time to spread this message

Lubans, Plotinikoff and Lubans (2012) conducted a systemic review of physical based programs as interventions for at-risk youth. Significant increases in social emotional wellbeing were identified for outdoor adventure programs, sport and skill based programs, and physical fitness programs. However, the researchers report that the risk of bias in the existing studies is high. None of the studies reported power calculations to detect the hypothesized effect. Additionally, few of the studies reported attrition rate of participants, or randomization techniques. The authors conclude that although the existing studies of physical based interventions contain methodological flaws, there is some evidence to support these programs may offer psychological and social benefits for at-risk youth.

Prevention methods for substance abuse are taught to children as early in their kindergarten years and follow throughout their lifetime. Current programs available are school-based programs, parent and family, work programs and community and public media campaigns.

Physical activity is essential for children; therefore sport participation has many physical benefits for youths (Willox, 1994). In the United States there is a very unhealthy trend of physically unfit children going on. According to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health seven out of ten kids in our nation are out of shape and the incidence of obesity has increased by more than 50 percent among America's children and teen since 1976 and continues to grow at a staggering rate (Metzel & Shookhoff, 2006). When children participate in sports activities they get some of the exercise they need to improve their quality of life and can help prevent children from becoming obese. Physical activity regulates obesity because it increases energy expenditure, suppresses appetite, increases metabolic rate, and increases lean body mass (Willox, 1994). Even though regular physical sport activity has been shown to improve physical fitness, it can also help in preventing many different health problems down the line that youths who participate in sports are more likely not to develop than youths who do not participate in sports. Women who participated in organized sport and fitness programs as

a. Exercising can become a habit, and something you carry on with your through the rest of your life. The earlier you start to exercise, the better your health will be when you’re older. However, it’s also never too late to get active! Not only can a 5 year old exercise and have fun by joining a youth soccer team, or playing Frisbee in the yard, but even an 80 year old can be active by joining an aerobics class or going on an easy walk down the street for light exercise to get their heart pumping and promote blood flow.

Physical Activity is undeniably good for everyone, not only does it keep you fit and healthy but when started at a young age, it can set up good habits for life. Sometimes however, people do not take care of their physical wellbeing, resulting in obesity and other eating disorders which can be detrimental to their health.

In school, teens are taught the essentials to have a successful life, but they are not taught the essentials to having a quality life. The middle school and high school time span is the perfect opportunity to educate teenagers how to get into correct exercising methods. Young teens have brains that are not fully developed and can easily be guided into any direction they are taught to follow. Simply, going out and being active for at least an hour can improve someone’s day from the vitamin D received by the sun. Informing the youth about the positive outcomes of exercising such as improvement in memory, improvement in being able to cooperate with stress and reduces stress. Of course, starting is not the easy part. Most people in general, do not get into a healthy lifestyle right off the bat. Parental figures play a crucial role in their kids life, as they do in their everyday life. Parents are the role models for their kids. They need to lead by

This report will investigate whether the students at Ferny Grove State High School are meeting the guidelines recommended by the Australia’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for young people aged 13-17 years. A survey will be conducted, then the data will be evaluated and compared to guidelines to see if the students are getting enough physical exercise. Recommendations will then be made on how the students can stay fit and healthy. This report will also cover the importance of physical activity for adolescences, the need for intervention to increase physical activities levels in Australia and national health strategies that aim to improve physical activity in Australia.