One of the most challenging aspects of my position as a
dental hygienist is trying to find “the angle” that is most effective in encouraging
the onset (and consistency) of preventive behaviors of adolescents. The typical adolescent, in my opinion, feels a
sense of invulnerability when it comes to their respective potential for developing
a condition or disease. In my experience, the most effective way to convey a
message intended to modify a habit is to illustrate to the individual that they
are at an increased risk of contracting _______ based on several factors. This
recognition of susceptibility is paramount in the effort to elicit change.
When I was 11 or so, my mom did a lot of volunteer work with
Bryan’s House, which at the time was a facility that cared for children
infected with HIV/AIDS (now they provide services for children dealing with a
variety of ailments). Due to my mom’s involvement with this organization, I was
around kids exactly my age who were born with HIV. It was through this
experience I realized for the first time that people my age…kids basically were
at risk for disease?! This kind of blew my mind. At that age you feel like only
old people die. This was an education
that you cannot get in school or from a pamphlet. These experiences shaped my
behavior as I got older. These experiences increased my level of compassion for
individuals in unfortunate circumstances, and they prevented my participation
in some of the “risky” behaviors that a few of my friends engaged in during
high school.
Now in no way am I advocating that everyone needs to take their
teenager down to the local free clinic for a “lesson,” but what I am saying is that
seeing an individual that is your age who is suffering from a condition, whether
it be self-induced or as a result of someone else’s poor choices, is a powerful
thing.
Once you establish susceptibility and you demonstrate that
there are consequences for not adopting healthy habits then you should give
that teen/adolescent an exact game plan on how to attain/maintain healthy
behaviors. It is easier to stay on a positive path when you have a specific
roadmap in front of you.
These are the basic steps that were effective for me as an adolescent, and this is the way I present material in the dental office.
This method of influencing behavior is a simplified version
of the “Health-Belief Model.” You just have to individualize your approach. The
“magical sentence” that will resonate and bring about positive change is
different for everyone so keep trying until you find it.
I think that your method is an effective method to teach adolescents. Many adolescents do have an invincibility complex, and being told like an adult that they are at risk for a certain disease may help to bring reality to the belief that they are invincible. I remember that I preferred when medical professionals spoke directly to me as if I were an adult. When they did not tell me what was going on and just spoke to my mother, like an adolescent, I tended to resent them and had less interest in what they were saying. Directly informing adolescents of how they can affect their health is key to helping them change. Thank you for your post.
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