Category: Children

Vaccines: A Plague on Society

Learntherisk.org, a non-profit dedicated to fighting vaccination, published the tragic story of a young child named Gabriel Barker. (Learn The Risk) Gabriel’s story is one of horror and pain, but not uncommon among the community of individuals who have firsthand seen the negative side effects of vaccines. Gabriel had been a very advanced child by one year old and, according to his mother and pediatrician, his verbal skills were advancing at a tremendous rate. This all changed after Gabriel received a standard MMR vaccine, one which has been speculated to induce autism in children. After a week of fever, swelling, and discomfort Gabriel began to show signs of mental damage as well as physical pain. The boy who was so advanced for his age was now unable to speak and had seemingly regressed into the behaviors and actions of a much younger child. The diagnosis of a family doctor read severe autism.

The story above is something that the mainstream medical community would like to dismiss and disprove. However, this should not be the case. There is an ever-growing debate surrounding whether children should have to get vaccinated against preventable diseases. Although the idea of stopping an infectious disease in its tracks sounds great, the solution is not this simple. Vaccines should not be made mandatory in the United States today. They come with a slew of negative health effects, are not always necessary, and violate the personal and religious freedoms guaranteed to us as human beings. According to Paul Frame, M.D. ‘There is insufficient evidence to support routine vaccination of healthy persons of any age.’

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), autism, narcolepsy. (World Health Organization) All of these are possible side effects of vaccines that the world still does not know about. One of which, narcolepsy, sounds absurd but even the leading committee on global health, the World Health Organization, can no longer deny the correlation. Vaccines can have a multitude of effects from killing innocent babies to harming adults who are uneducated on the issue. SIDS is possibly one of the worst known health conditions which share a correlation with vaccinations.

From 2 to 4 months old, babies begin their primary course of vaccinations. This is also the peak age for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The timing of these two events has led some people to believe they might be related…With babies receiving multiple doses of vaccines during their first year of life and SIDS being the leading cause of death in babies between one month and one year of age, CDC has led research studies to look for possible linkage. (Kelly Brogan M.D.)

Many times there are stories of children dying shortly after receiving vaccines such as the DTP vaccine. (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Many may point out the recurring argument of “correlation doesn’t equal causation” this however is an easily disproved thesis. Only recently has there been such skepticism over vaccines, and very little research has truly been conducted regarding their safety. The WHO cites that although there is no concrete evidence today about narcolepsy and vaccines, further investigation will be conducted to reach a conclusion. How can the world be so certain that something we do not know about is actually beneficial? This transitions well to the next point regarding the pure unhealthiness of vaccination, the contents, and ingredients. Normally when we think about health we think about putting good, healthy things into our bodies. Our mind does not wander to injecting ourselves with aluminum, chemicals, and animal tissue. One of these harmful components, monkey kidney tissue in the polio vaccine, brought about the spread of a “simian virus”, Sv40, into the widely used polio vaccines. (Fisher, The Vaccine Reaction) Throughout the course Barbara Fisher, author of the above-mentioned article, the research she discovered that Sv40 was known to cause cancerous tumors in other animals such as hamsters. Many vaccines contain varying amounts of aluminum and formaldehyde. (Center for Disease Control) Why are known chemicals and carcinogens being pumped into generations of unsuspecting children?

There are several theories that vaccines may not actually be necessary or that their presence does not come with any added benefit. One of these ideas is something called herd immunity. Herd immunity simply states that if a high enough percentage of members in a population are immune to the disease then it is the same as if everyone is immune to the disease. This is a common ideology among the vaccine community. Currently, only a small percentage of people choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children. According to a poll done by the Immunization Partnership, ninety percent of people are in support of vaccinations. For herd immunity to work for measles eighty-three percent of the population needs to be vaccinated, for rubella, it is also eighty-three percent, and for mumps, it is only seventy-five percent. (PBS) This ten percent of the population is not even needed to reach complete herd immunity, meaning that the ten percent of people who do not get vaccinated, will have no impact on the overall health of the community. The argument against this is that in fact while vaccine rates have dropped there has been a significant increase in “polio-like diseases.” (Washington Post) The important part of this statement is that these new diseases are not polio, they are “polio-like”. In an article published by Quantamagazine.org, studies have explored that show that over-vaccination may actually cause viruses to evolve, and resist vaccines.

The 1916 Proclamation was read by Padraig Pearse on the steps of the GPO Easter Monday. It included this aspiration that all children of Ireland would be cherished equally. The UN convention sanctioned by Ireland on the 28th of September 1992, “committed to promote, protect and fulfil rights of children”. Despite these aspirations and commitments, the economic, civil, political and social rights of children are not been met in Ireland today.

Change in Family Models

In the book cherishing all the children equally it is evident of how the structure of the family has changed in the last 100 years. Lone parent and blended families have increased massively. Lone parents struggle to meet the costs of living for themselves and their children. This includes the basics such as housing, food, heating and clothes. This should not be normalized but unfortunately in Ireland today it is. Ireland is not a poor country and government need to carefully consider the allocation of resources to ensure the most vulnerable are protected. There has been a small decrease in consistent poverty rates and more needs to be done to prove the government commitments on child poverty. Blended families in Ireland today are popular, people marry into other families and gain certain custody to the children. Although Ireland s divorce rate is the lowest in Europe, there are still many separated and divorced families in Ireland. In a divorce the decision of child custody is up to the courts to decide, however it is based on the income and living arrangements of each spouse. Children’s needs are not being listened to when it comes to custody, it is evident that if this was the case either spouse could try buy their child’s love and want for them. However, children should have the right to give their opinion on what they want, or think is best for them, after all it is their life.

Insights into the Prevalence of Special Educational Needs

The National Disability Survey Child Questionnaire showed detailed information about the insights explores the extent to which education placements vary by individual student characteristics and supports for children with disabilities in education. It shows that many children with disabilities attend everyday education (72%), a further 13% are in special classes in everyday schools and 15% attend special schools. Previous research for the general school population, shows that the percentage of all children placed in special education in Ireland is less than 5% (Banks and McCoy, 2011; McCoy et al., 2014). Class placements appear to be influenced by the type of disability: for example, children with speech difficulties are more likely to be placed in special education than children with other disabilities. For children with intellectual or learning difficulties, those on the autistic spectrum disorders or intellectual impairments (e.g., Down syndrome) are far more likely to be placed in special education settings compared to children with learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD). In terms of the need for additional resources and supports, children with special educational needs in Ireland are not being met. Although most primary schools have an SNA, generally there is only one per class which is not ideal. For example, there is no replacement if the SNA is absent or sick. Approximately, 10% of children in Ireland with disabilities reported that their needs are not being met in terms of personnel, curriculum and educational needs.

Child Economic Vulnerability Dynamics in the Recession

In article 27 (UNCRC) children have the right to access adequate food and housing. These needs are not being met in Ireland in 2019. Statistics recorded by focus Ireland show us that in Ireland today (2019, September), there were 10,397 people homeless, living in emergency accommodation including hotels, B&Bs and other residential facilities used on an emergency basis. The total number of children recorded living in these types of situations, recorded in September 2019 were 3,873. “Child homelessness has increased by 400% in the last 5 years” (Focus Ireland, 2019). Although this problem is widespread throughout Ireland the situation is extremely problematic in the Dublin region. These individuals and families have no place to call home and are often doubling and tripling up, staying with friends and relatives as they have nowhere else to go. Their living situation is precarious, unsuitable and unsustainable. “Right now, thousands of children and families are experiencing hidden homelessness living in overcrowded, unsuitable and insecure accommodation because they have nowhere else to go. This experience profoundly effects a child’s social, emotional, and physical development. At a basic level, there is no space to play or do homework, children often must share beds with siblings or parents so there is a lack of privacy and personal space. These children are failing to meet their developmental milestones and falling behind in school. The uncertainty of where they’ll live and seeing the stress experienced by their parents leaves them worried and anxious for their future” (Fergus Finlay). This is another example of children’s economic right not being met in Ireland today.

In Ireland today children and families are living with food poverty also. Kellogg’s carried out a survey in 2015 on the food divide, it showed that over 75% of the 408 teachers stated that an increase in the number of children coming into school starving and hungry than the year before. It is clear that the number of hungry children is increasing everyday “the stark reality of families being forced to live in cramped conditions without proper facilities meant that many children under the age of five were missing out on crucial development. The lack of cooking and refrigeration facilities in hotels and B&Bs meant many parents had no choice but to feed their toddlers pureed baby food well past the time they should transition to eating solid food” (Collette Bennett, a research and policy analyst with social justice Ireland). This is a clear example of food poverty in Ireland, parents are forced to feed their children baby food because of the lack of resources they can use to cook with. This is not only insufficient foods, but it is preventing children learning how to chew properly, which means more health problems here in Ireland.

Conclusion

In conclusion to this essay, it is evident that although there are many changes since 1916, such as Tulsa being established in January 2014, this was a huge turning point in relation to having an independent state agency dedicated to the protection of children’s safety and welfare. There are still many needs of children that are not being met. In my opinion, currently Ireland is in a state of homelessness, and we need to solve this promptly. We need more government aid to help get these family into stable housing. Coming up to Christmas is especially difficult on top of food and clothing, parents cannot provide their children with the gift of Christmas. In my opinion, this is very sad and heart breaking no family or child should ever have to live in unsettling environment. I also believe that all children should have the right to speak freely, they should be entitled to voice their opinion on where or whom they would like to live with. I think, if I was a child and I was in a situation where my parents were divorcing, I feel that I would know what was best for me, I think it is hard enough on a child to go through the pain of seeing this already and surely, if it made their life a little bit easier, they should feel the right to be heard. No child is more entitled than others; every child is unique and special in their own way. We as a society need to make children feel as if everything, they do is normal. Children with special educational needs, from autism to dyslexia, they need and should be cherished and not treated differently because of their disability, however I feel there should be special resources put into place to guide and help them on their way. The government need to act on this in every school across the nation.

Childhood is a time for innocence, play, learning, and imagination. Safety and security are craved by every child and generally aren’t questioned in the child’s life. However, this isn’t the case for all children around the world. At an alarming rate, children in the United States, and other countries around the world, are exposed to violence or trauma in their everyday lives. According to the National Survey of Children Exposed to Violence, over 60 % of children and adolescents stated that they were exposed to interpersonal violence (Elzy et al., 2013). To elaborate, trauma is either witnessing or experiencing an event that is frightening, dangerous, or violent that can lead to threatening the child’s life. Trauma not only comes from violence or abuse within the home but also outside of the family in schools and their communities. These children who are exposed to this nature are at a heightened risk for long-term consequences (Elzy et al., 2013). All of which affect the development of the child’s mental, physical, and cognitive development. Moreover, traumatic experiences can lead to a long-lasting effect on the child’s emotions or physical reactions. One of the most used indicators to determine the child’s risk for later issues is the Adverse Childhood Experiences test. This test measures the different types of abuse, neglect, and other harmful experiences a child may have faced. There is a significant response relationship between the number of adverse experiences and negative outcomes of a child’s life (Brockie et al., 2015). In contrast, as trauma experiences are repeated there becomes a more severe impact, which can lead to repetitive maltreatment or abandonment within the child’s caregiver system (Elzy et al., 2014). Moreover, various traumatic or violent experiences that children experience lead to many negative mental, physical, or emotional effects.

First off, to truly understand the effect that traumatic and violent experiences have on a child, it is important to first understand the experiences as a whole. Children can experience many different situations throughout their lives. Some of these situations may not seem traumatizing to outsiders, however, there is a heavy impact on the child. Traumatizing or violent situations can consist in any form, from mild to severe. For instance, Riordan (2016) compiled different stories from several anonymous individuals that consisted of various traumatizing events. These experiences ranged from observing a squirrel fall into a fireplace to having a mother attempt to murder the individual (Riordan, 2016). As seen from these individuals trauma can be an observation or a hands-on event. To elaborate in a recent study of various states, over half of the community-dwelling adults reported they have experienced at least one of the following: verbal, physical, or sexual abuse, family dysfunction such as mental ill, substance abuse, incarceration, domestic violence, or absence of a parent (Skarupski et al, 2016). Children may have a difficult time reacting to trauma and not be able to fully comprehend these situations (Monahon, 1997). Moreover, even if some experiences may not seem significant, there is still a large negative impact on the child’s overall well-being.

To begin, individuals who experience traumatic events during childhood are at a higher risk for developing mental health issues in adulthood. Individuals who are victims are more likely to develop mental pathologies and require psychiatric treatment in adulthood (Vallejos et al., 2017). Magnetic Resonance Imaging has discovered that not only does trauma result in a functional impact, but alterations in the brain structure also occur (Brietzke et al., 2012). Due to the alterations in the brain structure that occur, it is not surprising that these children have a higher chance of experiencing mental disorders. Trauma itself can alter the chemistry and physiology of the brain itself. This can lead to such a severe effect on the brain that it may begin to mistake hyperarousal for a normal state of mind. Early forms of trauma or abuse follow an individual throughout their life and can ultimately disrupt normal activities.

Children exposed to childhood trauma or abuse are at an increased risk for several different health issues. Vallejos and colleagues (2017) explained that the treated psychiatric patients with childhood trauma exceed the general population by 2. However, this may be underreported since people tend to hide their experiences due to shame. One of the most commonly reported traumas is emotional abuse. This corresponds to the most frequently reported trauma among schizophrenia spectrum patients (Vallejos, 2017). In addition, children who experience adverse childhood experiences have been reported to have depression, be poly-drug users to ease their mental pain, experience PTSD, and experience suicidal thoughts (Brockie et al., 2015). Family trauma can play a large part in developing mental issues. For instance, when family members pass away, it is not uncommon for significant adult figures to take their feelings out on the children. These adult figures have been found to become aggressive when death is brought up, making the child feel as though they should have died instead, or make the child feel as if they should be taken from the home (Skarupski et al., 2016). Any of this experienced trauma can lead to mental health issues. However, not only does trauma affect the victim, but it can also progress on their children in a continuous pattern.

One of the longest-reported cases of passing on trauma began in the late 1800s among Native American children (Brockie et al., 2015). Brockie and colleagues (2015) explain that these children were forced from their families to remote boarding schools. While at these schools the children experienced ongoing abuse and neglect resulting in negative impacts on their mental health. These impacts not only affected the children experiencing it but progressed to their children creating a negative pattern (Brockie et al., 2015). This corresponds to the current trauma that the United States government is issuing to illegal immigrant children. These children are ripped from their families and thrown into small prison-like areas where there is inadequate food, water, or sanitation (Brangham, 2019). There is no question about whether or not these children are harmed by this traumatic event. The separation from a parent and child entails significant psychological trauma. Any form of trauma, ranging from minor to major, leads to a greater potential risk of mental health issues.

Secondly, not only are these individuals at a higher risk for mental health issues, but also physical issues. Adults who experience childhood violence or trauma are more likely to engage in risky behaviors (Love et al., 2018). This can be due to regressing the emotions of the trauma and using risky behaviors as a coping mechanism. Monahon (1997) explained that trauma differs from stress in the sense that the child feels helpless and can’t cope, leading them to engage in delinquent behaviors. In general, the child may live in fear, experience helplessness, or experience physical responses such as vomiting, heart rate increases, or loss of bladder and bowel control (Peterson, 2018). These children are often faced with the decision of the fight or flight reaction. Meaning that if the child feels threatened the brain and body will alter all aspects of decision-making functions, leading the child to abandon abstract thought and planning. Ultimately, the loss of these crucial functions leads the child to impulsively fight or flee the situation.

Generally, psychological issues related to trauma can be due to the alterations in brain structure that occur when a child is exposed to trauma (Brietzke et al., 2012). Parts of the brain that become affected by trauma include the corpus callosum, amygdala, and cerebellum (Brietzke, 2012). The corpus callosum affects the motor, sensory, and cognitive performances between the two hemispheres of the brain. When exposed to childhood trauma impulse control becomes decreased due to the diminishing of the corpus callosum, leading to higher participation in risky behaviors. Secondly, the amygdala is responsible for detecting fear and emergencies. When this area of the brain decreases so does the processing and determining reactions to potentially dangerous situations, which can lead to physical harm. Finally, the cerebellum is responsible for voluntary movements. A decrease in this area can lead to a defect in motor skills and coordination. The brain is one of the most immature organs at birth and affects physical development, meaning that the experiences that children have are crucial.

Not only can trauma affect those areas of physical development, but it can also affect different systems of the body. For example, research has found that children exposed to traumatic events also experience negative effects on the nervous system and have increased health-risk behaviors (Peterson, 2018). Peterson (2018) explains that these children are more likely to engage in high-risk activities such as smoking, eating disorders, or substance abuse. They also have a higher chance of experiencing long-term issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, or early death (Peterson, 2018). The brain plays a large role in physical development and since the brain helps to effect this, childhood trauma can decrease physical development at an extremely negative rate.

Society is an influential aspect of a child’s life, however, it is underlooked how much trauma-exposed to children influential on society. There were an estimated 415,000 children in foster care in 2014, and 61% of these children were removed from their homes due to neglect (Regoli, 2014). Over half of the children in foster care were living in abusive and neglectful homes. This is detrimental to society since foster care is related to high incarceration levels, homelessness, unemployment rates, and higher drug usage (Burdick, 2016). Foster children, specifically those who are victims of trauma, are more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors and fall victim to negative lifestyles. Meaning that not only does trauma and abuse harm the children themselves, but there is also a large impact on society.

Children who experience trauma and abuse are not a lost cause, however. There a several different treatment forms that are available to children. Although, all treatment plans have the same common goals. These goals include safely expressing feelings, relief from symptoms and intruding thoughts, developing skills for control, correction of self-blame, restoring trust, minimizing the impact of trauma, and creating a positive and strong environment (Monahon, 1997). Perry and colleagues (2006) explained that routine and repetition are key to the recovery process for these children since the brain changes in response to repeated experiences. There is no one procedure to follow to help children exposed to trauma or abuse, but it is important to offer them key elements to improve their lives. Elements that these children need include but are not limited to rebuilding trust, regaining confidence, a sense of security and love, healthy caregivers, and a community to help limit pain, distress, and loss (Perry et al., 2006). With love and support these children are provided with the opportunity to overcome these challenges.

Literature review

1 Nutritional status and its indicators

The concept of nutritional status has been referred to as the condition of the body with respect to each nutrient and to the entire state of the body’s weight and condition (UNAP, 2011). This nutritional status equilibrium is antagonized by three processes namely, reduced intake of food; changes in utilization of food and nutrients and increase in nutritional requirements. A destabilization in this equilibrium will normally imply a loss or reduction in body tissues (Mengistu et al., 2014). Further, Smith and Haddad (2000) note that hours or days are just enough for inadequate nutrients to cause a series of changes in regard to energy and protein metabolism. All the above results into anthropometric changes that are characteristic of stark malnutrition or the loss of muscle. In light of this brief background, it is already clear that nutritional status is a very important and good indicator of whether one is intaking the right quantity and type of nutrients. In simple words, nutritional status can also be referred as the condition of the human body in regard to the consumption and subsequent utilization of nutrients (UNAP, 2011). A total of three famous indicators are commonly used to categorize people nutritionally and this is done with comparison to the World Health Organization International Growth Reference. These three as stated by Okoroigwe et. (2009) include height for age, weight for height and weight for age.

2 Classification of malnutrition

Mahgoub et al. (2006) explain that in infants, malnutrition may present as wasting stunting and or being underweight. Relatedly, the WHO also explains that children possessing weight-for-age indicators that are more than two or three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population (ages 0-59 months) are considered moderately or severely underweight (WHO 2011). Further, those whose height length-for-age indicator is more than two or three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population (ages 0-59 months) are considered moderately or severely stunted and those whose weight-for-height length indicator is more than two or three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population (ages 0- 59 months) are considered moderately or severely wasted. (UNICEF, 2015; World Bank, 2011; WHO, 2011)

3 Magnitude of the problem

Malnutrition remains one of the most common causes f morbidity and mortality among children under five children throughout the World (UNAP, 2011). Globally, nearly 10 million children under the age of 5 years pass on yearly from preventable and treatable illnesses malnutrition being one of them despite effective health interventions (Mengistu et al., 2014). Malnourished children have lowered resistance to infection; therefore, they are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Additionally, children that are able to survive this condition still battle recurring series of diseases, are faced with lower cognitive ability and experience very low learning ability. Globally, 23.8% of children below 5 years old are stunted, 7.5% are wasted and 6.1% weigh more than they should for their age (UNICEF, 2015). In Africa, 38.6% of children under five are stunted, 28.4% are underweight and 7.2% are wasted. (Orach et al., 2008). In sub-Saharan Africa, 42.7% are stunted, 9.2% are wasted and 35.8% are underweight (UNICEF 2015). The Uganda Demographic and Health Report indicate that nearly 38% of Ugandan preschool children are stunted, 6% are wasted and 16% are underweight (UDHS, 2006). Caulfield et al. (2004) have documented malnutrition as a serious problem mostly in the developing global south countries of Asia and Africa respectively. The prevalence of underweight and stunting in South Asia has been recorded as 46 and 44 percent, respectively (De Onis et al., 2000). Chronic malnutrition has been a persistent problem for young children in Sub-Saharan Africa (Mengistu et al., 2014). Whilst Asia remains more critically affected, its malnutrition cases are steadily reducing compared to those of Sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, a study report by Sebanjo et al. (2009) indicated that undernourished people in sub? Saharan Africa increased from nearly 90 million in 1970 to 225 million in 2008 whilst it had been predicted to add another 100 million by 2015. Therefore, child malnutrition is the most lethal form of malnutrition and it thus calls for immediate intervention strategies.

2.4 The pathophysiology of malnutrition and its causes

Porter and Kaplan (2011) have explained the initial metabolic response of malnutrition being reduced metabolic rate. They further argue that the body first breaks down adipose tissue in order to supply energy and that later it may utilize protein energy when the body tissues are depleted. Additionally, visceral organs and muscles are broken down and severe weight loss occurs. (Porter, 2011). There is loss of organ weight that occurs, and this is greatest in the liver and intestines, intermediate in the heart and kidneys, and least in the nervous system. UNICEF implies through its famous UNICEF conceptual framework on malnutrition that malnourished children are at great risk of pneumonia, measles, diarrhea, and malaria. They are moreover also at a greater risk of dying from the same (UNICEF, 2015). This study uses the conceptual framework to explain factors related to malnutrition in children and its pathophysiology.

Figure 1: Shows the UNICEF conceptual framework of malnutrition

• Source: UNICEF, Strategy for Improved Nutrition of Children and Women in Developing countries, UNICEF, New York, 1990.

The conceptual framework of child malnutrition developed by UNICEF, shown in Figure 1, projects a generalized conception of how malnutrition is the outcome of particular development issues directly associated directly with the status of dietary intake and the health level of the individual (UNICEF, 1990). The level of dietary intake which is determined by the four dimensions of food security and health are the immediate determinant of a child’s nutritional status. The World Health Organization further explains that the quality of the two factors deemed as immediate determinants in influenced by the food security of the status of the household to which the child belongs to, the health of the environment in which the child survives, and the quality of the health amenities available as well care given to the child (WHO, 2010). The extent to which the above determinants are influenced in either a positive or negative manner is only incumbent on the available resources which include food availability, food accessibility, and whether the caregiver of the child is able to access these resources or not (UNICEF,2015). Unless these underlying determinants are adequately available a child cannot live an active and healthy life (WHO, 2010). A study by Kikafunda et al. (2006) further asserts that the extent to which available resources are distributed in society will heavily influence the quality of the underlying nutritional status of a child in a certain household.

A combination of basic determinants which are themselves a function of how society is organized pertaining to the structure of politics, economic structure, the institutions that regulate activities within society, social norms, social values, and political and ideological orientation among other societal factors are all linked to the availability of nutrition resources at the household level. UNICEF,1990). We then see the framework moving from factors to do with individual and household aspects to the community, regional and state aspects because indeed the state of the economy and this broad level determines a lot of factors which in turn influence the nutritional status of an individual (UNAP, 2011: UNICEF, 1990)

6 A review of similar studies

In their study, in which they investigated the influence of socioeconomic factors on the nutritional status of children in the rural community of Osun in Nigeria, Sebanjo et al. (2015) found high rates of malnutrition among children, in the region. Their results indicate that up to 23.1%, 9% and 26.7% of the children interviewed were underweight, wasted, and stunted respectively (Sebanjo et al.,2015). In a related study that also determined the prevalence and determinants of malnutrition among Under-five Children of Farming Households in Nigeria’s Kwara state, Babatunde et al. (2011) found high levels of malnutrition with their results indicated that 23.6%, 22.0% and 14.2% of the sample children were stunted, underweight and wasted, respectively. Additionally, another study done by Siddiqi et al. (2011) on malnutrition among under-five children in Bangladesh revealed a high prevalence of stunting and underweight with 42% and 40% of under-five children being stunted and underweight, respectively (Siddiqi et al.,2011).

Otgonjargal et al. (2012) also studied the nutritional status of under-five children in Mongolia and their results indicated that the prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight were 15.6%, 1.7% and 4.7%, respectively. These results point out the high rates of malnutrition in many societies and usually prevalent among children under the age of five. In another study, Sapkota et al. (2009) also found a high prevalence of malnutrition rates in under five children in Belahara VDC of Dhankuta district in Nepal located in South Asia. The results of Sapkota et al. (2009) indicated that up to 27%, 37%, and 11% were underweight, stunted and wasted respectively.

A report from the United States Agency for International Development has documented South Sudan as the country with one of the highest rates of malnutrition in Africa with close to 22% of all children in the country battling moderate to severe acute malnutrition (USAID, 2007). This rate is even worse in the Southern parts of the country with the prevalence being twice as high as it is in other parts for the country (Ola et al., 2011).

A study conducted by Kwena et al. (2003) to assess the nutritional status of preschool children in a rural area of western Kenya revealed that, the prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting were 30%, 20%, and 4%, respectively (Kwena et al.,2003). Relatedly, another cross-sectional survey conducted in a rural locality of Gumbrit of the same country found the overall prevalence of malnutrition in the community was high with 28.5% of the children being underweight, 24% stunted and 17.7% wasted (Edris,2006).

Other studies that assessed the same aspect included Asres et al. (2011) which found that the prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting were 37.2%, 14.6%, and 4.5%, respectively. Additionally, the same study found that severe stunting, severe underweight and severe wasting were seen in 14.8%, 2.9%, and 0.5% of the children respectively (Acres et al., 2011); Mulugeta et al. (2005) also assessed the nutritional status among rural areas of Ethiopia’s Tigray region and found the levels of stunting, underweight and wasting to be 42.7%, 38.3% and 13.4%, respectively (Mulugeta et al.,2005). Relatedly, a cross-sectional study conducted by Taffesse (1997) had earlier highlighted this situation. Taffesse’s study in Aynalem village, Tigray region found that the overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting were 45.7%,43.1%, and 7.1%, respectively (Taffesse,1997). Additionally, a study conducted by Kebede (2007) in the Gimbi district Oromia region also found that 32.4 %,23.5 %, and 15.9% of the children were stunted, underweight and wasted respectively. Further, a cross-sectional study conducted in rural kebeles of Haramaya district also revealed that the prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting were 42.2%, 36.6%, and 14.1%, respectively. In addition, the proportion of the prevalence of malnutrition by its level of severity indicated that 19.9% were severely stunted, 16.6% were severely underweight and 3.9% were severely wasted (Zewdu, 2012)

7 Associated factors

The causes of malnutrition are numerous and multifaceted. There seems to exist a complicated inseparable relationship that exists in a hierarchical manner among them. While recurrent disease and very poor diets are themselves caused by other numerous underlying factors, they are considered to be the immediate determinants. These two factors relate to the four dimensions of food security at the household level, the health of the environment and the availability as well as the access of health services to both babies and mothers. The underlying factors that are explained above are moreover influenced by socioeconomic and political conditions as evidenced from the UNICEF conceptual framework on malnutrition (Muller, 2005). A study conducted on malnutrition among under-five children in Bangladesh revealed that household economic status, mother’s education, father’s education, mother’s antenatal visit (s), mother’s age at birth and Mother’s BMI are the most significant factor determinants of child’s malnutrition (Siddiqi et al., 2011). Relatedly, Sapkota et al. (2019) conducted a study in the rural communities of Nigeria’s Osun state in which they found education level as a very important factor in malnutrition studies. The study results revealed that mothers who were not educated past the level of secondary school had babies that were almost two times more likely to be stunted that their counterparts who had gone past this level. Sapkota et al. (2019) also found that home overcrowding and very low incomes were associated with malnutrition particularly wasting. This is children fed on an inadequate diet stemming from competition among household members and a very small resource envelope. While investigations in regard to social class did not yield consistent results, this might be due to shifts in what the researcher termed as social class. These days social class is more of having a certain amount of income as opposed to the right of belonging to a certain group of people (Sapkota et al., 2009). In a study conducted on the prevalence and determinants of malnutrition among Under-five Children of Farming Households in Kwara State, Nigeria, malnutrition was significant associated gender and age of the child, education and body mass index of the mother, the calorie intake of the households, access to clean water and presence of a toilet in the households (USAID, 2007).

Acres et al. (2011) investigated the factors affecting nutritional status at Beta-Israel also and revealed that the main contributing factors for under-five malnutrition were sex of the child, child’s age, diarrhea episode, deprivation of colostrums, duration of breastfeeding, type of food, method of feeding, and age at which complementary feeding was introduced (Acres et al.,2011). Factors linked to the economy, social and environmental factors among others make malnutrition levels to vary among and within countries and regions. The effect of income is measured by expenditure on food which reflects a household’s income and resources (Zewdu, 2012)

Tesfaye (2009) used a Bayesian Approach to investigate predictors of nutritional status in Ethiopia. In his results, he finds that the main predictors of children’s nutritional status were a place of residence, maternal education, occupation of mother, Preceding birth interval, source of water drinking, age of the child, sex of the child, Mother’s BMI and age of mothers (Tesfaye,2009) A study conducted in rural Tigray region revealed that, a very high proportion of the mothers (80%) initiated feeding of newborns with pre-lacteal feeds primarily butter or water. Factors like the age of the child, maternal nutritional status, quality and quantity of complementary foods, and area of residence were the major predictive factors to child malnutrition (Mulugeta et al., 2007). Children’s age groups were an important and significant factor in regard to the severity of underweight and stunting in Aynalem village in the Tigray region. The age group f 12 months to 24 months manifested a high incidence of both stunting and underweight whilst the 0 months to 6 months group presented with lower levels of stunting, underweight, and wasting (Taffesse et al., 1997). Income levels, education, sex and age of the child, access to healthcare, nutritional status of the respondents’ parents, access to social amenities like clean water and sanitation, and adequate primary health care were the most significant factors associated with malnutrition. As already hinted, predisposing factors that are contributing are bound to vary among and within regions as well as over time different time periods. Therefore, assessing contributing factors linked to a certain locality and region is important for contextualization and designing intervention strategies. A Survey of available literature indicates that factors like knowledge of health practices and caring level, educational level of parents, and access to or interactions of the age of the child have a strong effect on household and community variables in which the child grows up (Meril, 1984). The key factors that significantly influenced stunting included the birth size or weight of the child, education level on the paternal side and maternal decision-making power.

Complex trauma in children and adolescents can interfere with the capacity to integrate sensory, emotional, and cognitive information into a cohesive whole and sets the stage for unfocused and irrelevant responses to subsequent stress. Fisher &Van Der Kolk (2000)

The immediate and long-term consequences of children exposed to maltreatment and other traumatic experiences are multifaceted. Emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and physical abuse as well as witnessing domestic violence, ethnic cleansing, and war, can interfere with the development of a child having secure attachment within the caregiving system.

Complex trauma results in a loss of core capacities for self-regulation and interpersonal relatedness. Children often experience lifelong problems that put them at risk for addiction. Impairments like psychiatric and addictive disorders, chronic mental illness, and legal, vocational, and family problems. These problems can carry into adulthood. Cook, (2005)

In a study on the effects of early childhood trauma, Fischer &Van Der Kolk (2000), conclude that childhood abuse and neglect are responsible for costly long-term psychiatric disabilities, chronic medical problems, substance abuse, learning problems with unemployment, risk of developing HIV and other serious social and health problems. Early comprehensive intervention may be effective in reversing some of these changes. If not prevented or treated early these children are likely to grow up to lead traumatized and traumatizing lives. Leading to impulsive behavior, drug abuse, and interpersonal violence. Fischer &Van Der Kolk (2000)

The domains of impairment in Children exposed to Complex Trauma are as follows.

• Attachment, problems with boundaries, distrust, social isolation interpersonal difficulties difficulty attuning to other people’s emotional states, and perspective-taking.
• Biology, sensorimotor developmental problems, Analgesia, problems with coordination, balance, body tone, somatization, and increased medical problems across the lifespan. (pelvic pain, asthma, skin problems, autoimmune disorders pseudo seizures).
• Affect regulation, difficulty with emotional self-regulation, labeling and expressing feelings, problems knowing and describing internal states, difficulty communicating wishes and needs.
• Dissociation, distance alteration in states of consciousness, amnesia, depersonalization, and de-realization, two or more distinct states of consciousness, and impaired memory for state-based events.
• Behavior control, poor modulation of impulses, self-destructive behavior, aggression toward others, pathological self-soothing behaviors, sleep disturbances, eating disorders, substance abuse, excessive compliance, oppositional behavior difficulty understating and complying with rules reenactment of trauma in behavior or play.
• Cognition, difficulties in attention regulation and executive functioning, lack of sustained curiosity, problems with processing novel information, and problems focusing on completing tasks. Problems with object constancy, difficulty planning and anticipating, problems in understating responsibility, learning difficulties, problems with language development, and orientation in time and space.
• Self-concept, lack of continuity, predictable sense of self, poor sense of separateness, disturbances of body image, low self-esteem, shame, and guilt.

The other model that is important to understand when treating trauma is the Six Core Components of Complex Trauma Intervention.

Safety, self-regulation, self-reflective information processing, traumatic experiences integration, relational engagement, positive affect enhancement. Cook (2005)

Identify what you see as the core components of effective treatment in working with survivors of trauma.

In treating survivors of trauma, it is important to take into consideration the whole person. Keeping in mind their past, present, and future. Understanding the role that trauma has played in the client’s life. It requires an in-depth knowledge and understanding and being able to identify dissociation. The clinician must have a strong understanding of the effects the traumatic events have on the clients and use the best practices when treating trauma to avoid, “therapeutic misadventures”. Levers, (2012)

In treating trauma survivors trauma therapy typically covers three phases. Safety is the first stage. Using an accurate assessment is critical. Establish a framework in which the therapy will proceed with the discussion of boundaries and limits. Discuss frequency and stress the importance of the therapeutic relationship is not a friendship. A discussion needs to happen on how to manage a crisis and develop a crisis team if needed.

During this phase, it would be important to check for harm to self and harm to others. Check to see if the client is suicidal or experiencing homicidal ideation and see if they have a plan. If either one of these is present then the client needs to go to an emergency facility or in-patient facility so they are not in danger of harm to self and danger to others. Administer a suicide assessment test to determine if the client is suicidal.

Danger to others- plan an inpatient facility, or have them check into the local ER by calling emergency contact on their intake paperwork.

Safety and stabilization is the second phase. Building relationships by using unconditional positive regard. Often this can be a challenge with trauma survivors due to their lack of feeling safe in their bodies and personal relationships. This phase can take as long as the client needs. Safety refers to the physical safety of the environment where the therapy occurs as well as the emotional safety of the client. This phase includes psychoeducation. Explaining the effects of traumatic stress, including the biological and psychosocial ramifications. This can help reduce fear and normalize the client’s symptoms and reactions. Helping the client recognize that some of their responses are due to their trauma can be so helpful.

In this phase, educating the client on self-soothing techniques is key. Teaching them emotional regulation. I would use the container and safe space exercises from EMDR Phases 1, 2, and 3. Emotional regulation and stabilization are key. I would also use EFT tapping, acupuncture pressure points, and education on techniques to help regulate. Weighted blanket, putting legs up on the wall, deep box breathing, and as many tools as it takes to find what works for the individual client.

The second phase is processing trauma. This phase begins only when the relationship is established and the client has the necessary coping skills for grounding and containment and they feel safe to be able to process the traumatic memory. The client is in charge of this process and can stop at any time. Attunement with the client allows for adjustments during this phase. The therapist offers support and guides the therapeutic process with the client If the client becomes hyper-aroused or experiences intense trauma symptoms the session needs to slow down and stabilize with previously learned skills such as a peaceful place or container. I would use EMDR for this. History taking, container, safe space, and emotional regulation. During the history taking 8 phase three prong phase, the client has discovered their negative core belief about themselves due to the trauma they experienced. They have also identified a past, present, and future memory where this negative core belief is causing them emotional and often physical distress. It is important during this process that the client moves through the traumatic memory. Using tapping and breath to help them process the trauma. I would also assess the client’s ability to regulate and decide what specific memory to work on. Often if they have a lot of trauma it is good to start with EMDr prime. Focusing on just one memory and not allowing the client to go into the body connection. Starting small and reducing the change of hyperarousal.

The third phase is Reconnection and integration. The focus is to help the client see that they are not their trauma or what happened to them. Trauma survivors have a difficult time being in the present moment and future. In this phase, the client will focus on formulating a new relationship with themselves, relationships, intimacy, and be able to identify their strength-based narrative. I love to add Narrative Therapy into this phase because often trauma survivors haven’t thought about their future. Clients begin to feel a new-found sense of self. Often making meaning out of their trauma and developing a sense of purpose. I often find that during this phase service and advocacy, can be a big part of a survivor’s healing. Levers, (2012)

Basics of assessment for survivors I would use the ACES and Resilience test. I think this gives a good idea of a client’s early childhood trauma and it also offers a narrative around survival and the strength-based narrative needed to go through trauma.

Responding to the safety concerns of survivors is key. The therapist needs to anticipate a crisis may arise. The goal is to give the client a clear direction on how a crisis needs to be handled between sessions and outside of therapy. Review the boundaries and limits of the therapeutic relationship. The therapist can expect transference issues within this phase. Supervision is key during this phase and all phases. Some clients can act in self-inflicted harm. There needs to be a safety plan in place that is talked about and agreed on what to do if this happens. Call the support team or 911.

To stabilize urges to self-injure and manage suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, and substance abuse Engaging in the client writing a safety plan and having both the client and the therapist sign is a helpful way to engage both in promoting safety. Include in the plan high-energy activities, like exercising, biking, jogging, walking, dancing and kicking or throwing a ball. Also, less intense like who they call on their support team or list. Journal writing, drawing, taking a bath, or listening to music. The contact spells this out. Including calling 911 in case of emergency.

Neurobiology refers to how neurons work, how the brain functions and develops, and the developmental aspect of “Interpersonal relationships” with the developing brain. The infant-caregiver relationship is a gene-environmental relationship where the mother mediates the external environment of the child. This happens in a dyadic affective transaction psychobiological influences the infant’s production of hormones and neurohormones in the infant’s developing nervous system. Researchers have identified a variety of neurobiological abnormalities in traumatized children and teens. Often, they are unaware of their emotions because they are stored in their bodies. They also found abnormalities in the corpus callosum a thick cord made up of fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain. They noted that in children who have endured longer periods of abuse the cerebral volume in the brain was smaller and they displayed more trauma symptoms such as hyperarousal, avoidance, disassociation, and intrusive images and thoughts. Other researchers found that chronic trauma results in affect dysregulation, sleep disorders, startle reactions, sensory-motor dysfunction, dissociation, learning problems, relationship issues, anxiety, and panic attacks, and avoidance of specific situations or events. They can negatively affect a child’s development.

Self-care for survivors is so important. Trauma survivors often don’t connect their minds and bodies. Mindfulness Stress Reduction Techniques can help survivors be in the present moment and get into their bodies. In concluding an article done on mindfulness in trauma survivors we find many positive changes. Mindfulness emphasizes non-judgmental acceptance of one’s experience, including unwanted thoughts or emotions, and evidence of its impact on attention control and physiological arousal is accruing. Changing autonomic arousal may be integral to reducing the effects of trauma reactivity, hypervigilance and attentional control may reduce intrusive thoughts. Lang (2017) It’s also important to note that mindfulness can be moving meditation, or walking your dog, sometimes still meditation can trigger trauma survivors because it is another thing they feel that they failed at. It isn’t comfortable for them to be still in their bodies.

Transference is defined as a phenomenon in which a person transfers to someone in the present, the responses and feelings that he or she has had for someone in the past”. This happened to me when I was doing neurofeedback to a patient who had a stroke. The situation was so familiar to me and I had no idea what was happening. I began caretaking the client and thankfully my supervisor was with me. She looked at me and suddenly I was aware of what I was doing. I excused myself and was able to process it with her afterward. I also became aware of my limits. It is probably not the best idea for me to do that technique on stroke survivors. Since then I have had a client who is a stroke survivor and have been able to separate my experience from hers and stay present with my emotions and supervision around this client. Levers, (2012)

Countertransference is something I witnessed when I was doing an EMDR session with my supervisor. The client had a similar trauma to my supervisor and she had a physical reaction during her treatment. Started coughing and tearing up. Thank goodness, the client didn’t realize and I took over but later after processing with my supervisor, she shared how this countertransference happened due to the similarities in their traumas. I have also experienced this with some motherless daughters I work with. When their story is, similar I find, myself getting a bit teary. I have learned that when this happens to wiggle my toes and grab onto the rock in my pocket to bring me back to the present moment. I find that most often clients appreciate the empathy. Thank goodness, I have never got to the point where it triggers me and I have been able to make sure the client doesn’t feel responsible for my emotions. I work hard at this in supervision and therapy weekly.

In the future, I will work with the issues as they arise by remaining vigilant in my self-care and therapy. Seeking out supervision, mindfulness, grounding techniques, self-care, and trauma processing with my therapist.

This changed for you over this year working with clients. Not really this term. I have been working on this since last January and will continue to do so.

References

1. Cook, A. (2005). Complex trauma in children and adolescents. Psychiatric Annals, 35(5), 390-398.
2. Lang, A. J. (2017). Mindfulness in PTSD treatment. Current Opinion in Psychology 14, 40-43.
3. Ling, J., Hunter, S. V., & Maple, M. (2013). Navigating the challenges of trauma counseling: How counselors thrive and sustain their engagement. Australian Association of Social Workers, 67(2), 297-310.
4. Lopez Levers, L. (2012). Trauma counseling: Theories and interventions. New York, NY: Springer. Meyer, D. & Ponton, R. (2006).
5. Streeck-Fischer, A. & van der Kolk, B. A. (2000). Down will come baby, cradle and all: Diagnostic and therapeutic implications of chronic trauma on child development. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 34, 903–918.

According to a study from the University of Colorado about sports injuries, 60% of football players experience an injury in high school (Dawn). If this problem continues, the sport of football will die. Football is not suitable for kids because it causes brain injuries to the kids and that affects their education in the long run. Football players have helmets which cause them to lead in with their head to force a tackled or to avoid a tackle. The trauma that hits the brain when a young player gets tackled or tackles an opponent can cause them to have bad injuries. Football protocols for head injuries have not improved enough for it to be safe for kids because young players often do not report problems in order to keep playing. This can really affect the kid’s academics, as concussion symptoms include forgetfulness, drowsiness, and processing information.

According to a survey by Massachusetts youth, only ⅛ of the concussions that occur during a football game are reported by the students and this stat is only from the state of Massachusetts, so there will be a way bigger number of unreported concussions in the whole nation(Coatsworth). Once a child gets a concussion during a game, they usually don’t realize that they are hurt in that area of their body until later because of the adrenaline that they go through when they are playing a game like football. Concussions can cause a really bad disease called CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) that affects a lot of football players after their football career. We found out about this concussion disease in football because of one of the greatest linebackers in football history, Junior Seau. Seau was having trouble sleeping and had become emotionally detached with people he was close with before according to his ex-wife Gina Seau (Avila). Because of what happened to their father Seau’s kids are not gonna play football ever and they are totally against the sport and would like to use their talents somewhere else other than football (Avila). Seau had killed himself in 2012, he had ended his career in 2009 this means he had killed himself only three years after he ended his career. Seau knew something was up with his head and wanted to inform the world about it, so he had intentionally shot himself in the chest so that medical teams could examine his brain and see what exactly was wrong with. After Seau’s post mortem had come out the doctors said that Seau was suffering from a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. This news really alerted the world into the seriousness of concussions and football as a community hit a serious bump (Avila). High schoolers go through a bunch of injuries when playing football in high school, this can cause them to miss valuable time in school. Football is a very popular sport across the United States and most high schools compete in competitions to see which team is the best, although it is very popular it is also very dangerous and contains a lot of risks when playing this sport.

According to research by the University of Colorado Boys, high school football teams go through a lot of injuries, but more importantly, they say that children go through an injury at least one time in their high school football career (Dawn). Most injuries occur on the head or face of the player. The second most popular injury occurs on the leg or foot of the player, now this type of injury requires surgery and surgery would make it really hard for the player to come back into the sport and start playing again, and often players rush back in and get injured again at the same place 37 thousand of the injuries that happened in 2017 required surgery and 25% of those injuries had a reinjury in the same place, this proves that kids actually try to get back into action before they are actually ready for it (Dawn). In 2013 a promising five-star recruit running back and was ranked in the top ten of his class, his name was Thomas Tyler don’t remember him? That’s because he never played a down of college football. Thomas Tyler committed to the Oregon Ducks to play football at but his redshirt season got hurt on his shoulder, but Tyler rushed back on to the field and got hurt again a year later. Thomas Tyler retired after the second time and doesn’t play anymore (Muldowney). This story shows us how football injuries can ruin someone’s life as Thomas Tyler was a promising football player and probably had big dreams in the future for himself but football knocked him down and he was too eager to get back up and ruined his football career because of that.

We know about this story because this player had retired in the spotlight, but we don’t know how many kids may have gone through the same thing but didn’t get media attention to acknowledge it. Football is a very popular sport across the nation and a lot of high schools have programs and kids look up to college and pro players when they are young. Even with all this going for the sport there is no question that is very dangerous for kids and it should be banned for children. Now, of course, you can’t just ban such a popular sport from thin air so now a solution that is practical would be to have another version which is not as violent as football. The solution is flag football, now old school football fans won’t agree to this because it is not the “real deal”, but is it really worth hurting these kids for some entertainment, and flag football helps kids improve on their technical skills and reduces the chances of injury for the kids.

Children have fragile and growing bodies, so when a child gets hurt or breaks a bone, it heals fast but it also makes the muscle around the bone weak because kids don’t think about rehab. In a sport like American Football kids often get injured and don’t take care of their bodies as they should hence making their injury worse. One solution for this problem is to ban the game from being played in high school and put the sport with an alternative sport which is related to football, flag football is the best solution as players will be still working on the skills they need to be working on to be a successful player such as speed, agility, catching, throwing, and stamina. Another way to make the sport safer would be to add more padding this will help kids be safer when going a hundred percent all the time and contact on every play will reduce the risk of injury, extra padding should be used on the helmets, shoulder pads and there should be more padding on the ribs and knees, since all these parts a fragile to the human body (Bonjour). Coaches should also improve on their practice methods because 44% of kids get injured in practice (Dawn). Coaches should do fewer Oklahoma drills and real-life tackling drills because that encourages the players to hit their own teammates at hundred percent, this will do two things for the team, it will risk less chance of injuries for the season, and it will help players stay healthy for daily chores. Football is a very violent sport and even though it is very popular and fun to watch and play, it hurts children with their education and daily chores. Football should not be played by kids since it affects their brain in negative ways and it will affect them in the future since they are still in the developing age, and the hits that they get to head affect their mental and physical growth.

Introduction

This task is all about the stories of the people who became successful along with their disabilities and still proved their selves to be an ultimate example for everyone else. So, that they can also move forward optimistically no matter how hard it becomes. Some people in the past have encountered such problems and disabilities yet refused to stop and gave their best to set examples, to prove that even along with disabilities, milestones can be achieved, and one can succeed in this highly competitive world.

Initial life

Terry Fox was born in Canada and he was an athlete (Noonan & McCormick, 2014). He had a strong belief in the value that human life consists of, he believed in providing ease to other humans and had a great inclination towards humanity and morals. He was also an activist for cancer research. He was a distance runner and a player of basketball (Aghaeepour et al., 2012). He was born on 28th July 1958 ‘in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Rollent and Betty Fox’, Fox also had an elder brother, a younger brother and a sister. The reason that Terry Fox had such nature was that his parents were also a kind of dedicated too much for their family and this nature was inherited to Fox by his very protective mother (Prater, 2016). Because of his mother, Fox developed a nature in which he became highly stubborn to everything that he was dedicated to and he became highly committed to his dedication as well.

Another factor that was present like Fox was that he was highly competitive, and he hated to lose. It was his first nature that he would continue to do a task continuously until he became successful in that (Aghaeepour, Nikolic, Hoos, & Brinkman, 2011). Though he was a very poor player at the starting but his first nature of sticking to his passion led him to be a top-class player of soccer, rugby, and baseball. However, his coach at his high school felt that what suited him better was to be a distant runner and he enforced him to take up it as a sport, in the starting Fox did not have any interest in being a long-distance runner but he adopted it as a sport because he wanted his coach to be proud of him. After his high school, his mother forced him to get enrolled in the university as well and he opted ‘Kinesiology’ to become a teacher of physical education (Aubert, Baerlocher, Vulto, Poon, & Lansdorp, 2012).

The accident and disability

One day when Fox was driving to his family to his home, he saw the construction of the nearby bridge and he got lost in that construction and became distracted and his car got crashed. His car became undrivable and there was a sore in his right knee, the reason for the increase in the injury was his ignoring behavior he felt greater pain in the coming December, but he relentlessly ignored it as well. Eventually, the pain increased to an alarming level and because of that, he decided to go to the hospital. In the hospitals, he was diagnosed with ‘Osteosarcoma’ which is cancer that starts close to the knee. It was clear that his accident exposed him to this disease and then left very vulnerable and serious reactions.

He was told by the doctors that his leg needs to be cut off from his body. It was also briefed to him that he needs to have ‘chemotherapy’. Fox was to that there are 50% chances that he will survive because of the different innovations and in the field of medicine (Christiuk, 2013). The chances of survival before two years were set to have been only 15% and 50% was a massive increase in the medical filed. So, Fox’s leg was amputated, and he started to walk around with the help of an artificial leg. Fox had greater chances of recover because he was very positive and the doctors also very impressed form his positive attitude towards his disease and its treatment, though the time spent in the hospital was not easy because he was watching others getting treated and dying to cancer which was very disturbing for him (Curwin, Paige, & Sutcliffe, 2011).

The goal of the life of Terry Fox was to recover as soon as possible and to become an example for others so he can put courage in other people as well. A Canadian wheelchair sports association also invited him to join a wheelchair basketball team, no matter he was going under’ chemotherapy’ and repeated treatments. He went there and he proved himself and became the part of the team.

Justifications

The life of Terry Fox is not just a story but it is a beacon of light for everyone who is hopeless about his normal life and everyone who is hopeless about his disabled life (Deyoe & Fox, 2012). The reason to choose this study was that Fox was an impeccable and faultless person in case of his goals and dedications, he could have done anything and everything to achieve what he is dedicated to. His consistency is something that is meant to be learned by everyone. Disability is not supposed to shadow every other ability as well, whereas it should be done in Fox’s way that all the abilities should cover one single disability of a persona and with a bit of ambition and dedication, anything can be achieved. The reason of selection of the story also lies in the aims of terry Fox himself as well, as the aim of the terry Fox was not only to get recovered and get out of bed, his aim was also to be an example for everyone has some kind of disability and for everyone in general as well (Ellison, 2015). He wanted to get up to instill courage and everyone going through the same situation so that he can send a message that if he can do it, anybody can do it as well.

Reflection and implications of the story

Analysis

With even his leg amputated, he was so dedicated to run a long-distance marathon from east to west of Canada and all this effort to be done to make enough money and spread enough awareness for the cancer research (Foster, 2019). However, his cancer stopped him only after 143 days of his marathon and he ran 5373 kilometers and it ultimately took his life as well. Still, there was something which could have stopped him from spreading the words about cancer research and making offer for that except for his death. After his death as well, his legacy did not stop form being spreading worldwide and his efforts lasted for a long time as well. The terry Fox run exists today as well and it consists of some participants from more than sixty countries. It is also the largest fundraiser for cancer research in the world. More than 750 million Canadian dollars are raised (Gibson, 2012). This way Fox became a beacon of light and a practical example of hope for disabled people.

Fox was not only a hope for the disables, but he also set different examples such as when he opted his career only to make his coach proud of him. He followed not only the basic characteristics of his mother but also did what made her happy (Lee et al., 2013). He fought with cancer not just only by laying on his bed and having repeated exposure of chemotherapy, but he also spent his last days and last breath on doing something for the betterment of people coming behind him. His efforts for the fundraising of the cancer research show his dedication to creating a safe place for others like him, as his disease was not only the result of his ignorance but it was also a result of lack of research and knowledge in the relevant field and the relevant disease (MacDonald, 2011). He aimed to create a safe side and courage the spread of knowledge and research about the field as well, what he did was impeccable and was purely related firstly to his passion and dedication towards his goal and secondly towards the decrease of the pain of one’s suffering in the same way. Terry became an example of the fact that disabilities cannot stoop form growing and doing something flawless for the sake of humanity proving himself a ‘humanitarian’.

Fox today as well as a prominent figure in ‘Canadian folklore’, the determination put in by the Fox united all of the nations. People related to all of the professions and areas supported him in his run and are still supporting and he is a matter of pride for the country as well. In a national survey, he was marked as the greatest hero of Canada (Makarem et al., 2013). Fox proved that the title of the greatest hero can be achieved by a normal person as well if he does abnormal things. Another attitude of Fox was that he refused himself to be called a disabled person. And he never allowed anyone to be nice to him because of his disability and he hated pity as well. He always told everyone that his life is rewarding and challenging. The story of Fox and the efforts towards his disability changed the view of all of the Canadians towards disability and it was not just for the Canadians but also the whole world that he set an example, that disability cannot stop anyone from achieving anything and to do something for the betterment of the whole society (Perrone, 2013).

Fox received some chemotherapy treatments. Howsoever cancer continued to spread. And his conditions became worst. Due to the development of pneumonia as well, he went into a coma. His family praying by his side and the whole of Canada hoping for him to get well (Sheridan, 2013). He was not defeated by his disability but he was defeated by death, it was said that nothing but dead stopped Fox otherwise there was no other power and no disability that could have stopped him from achieving his goals and from doing things for the betterment of the society and others having same conditions like him.

Personal Experience

There are some phenomena which can be related to the classroom experience. One is of task-oriented skills which include both cooperation and the spirit of collaboration. It can be related to the story in a way that Fox did not stop motivating people or involving himself in different physical activities because he had problem-solving skills and abilities. The one with this ability can manage to overcome the issues and hurdles. (Noonan & McCormick, 2014). Another concept which can be mentioned is of Partnership with parents which can relate to this story.

This concept can be explained as one should respect his/her parents and follow them. In addition to this, share the happenings with them so that, they can guide well. In this story, it can be seen that the Fox was inspired his parents because both were determined and highly motivated. As in this case, His mother was the source of motivation for him to fight with the difficulties having courage and determination.

Weakness and Strength

The concept of task-oriented has a strength that the one, who is focused on the solution, can resolve any problem. This skill enables a person to see the positive picture of the situation and find out the solution to the issue instead of stuck in it. The weakness involved in it that, a person with this approach is too much focused to resolve the issue so usually; he ignored the additional or hidden factors which may contribute to the adversity of the situation. Secondly, the partnership with parent’s concept makes a person to feel secure by connecting to his/her parents in each aspect so that the right decision can be made. On the other hand, this approach can convert into a weakness, because much dependence on parents can make a person too vulnerable for the situations. So, he may not be able to take any decision on its own.

Moral and ethical meaning of the story and its effects

Anything can be achieved if the moral of a person is quite high enough to break the myth and the barriers created by any of the disability. The things that are setting him back for achieving his goals (Perrone, 2013). The moral of an individual towards himself and his surroundings need to be high for the sake of the contribution of his surroundings and for the sake of contributing to making this world a better place to live. What matters today is that what a person has contributed to his life span to make this world a better place to live and to make the society a safe place and growing entity at the same time.

The ethical consideration does not believe in the existence of an individual but they believe in a community and the things done for the whole community (Scrivener, 2014). What Fox did was a part of his self and a part of the society as well. Fox, first of all, respect his dedication and his own goals, he out his passion above everything else and his disability as well. Fox made his weakest thing to be the strongest base for him to achieve his goals. Moreover, apart from his passion and dedication, Fox made everyone believe that no disability is strong enough to keep someone from achieving his goals and so he set an example for everybody else like him (Rebollo et al., 2011). And everyone who is hopeless contributing to a big program for cancer research, not only contributing to cancer research but also lighting a candle for hope for everyone in the society.

Conclusion

From the story of Terry Fox, it can be concluded that a person does not lack anything in his body, a person can only lack dedication, passion, and consistency in his self that can stop him from achieving his goals. Moreover, the only persons topping an individual from his achievements is his self, a bit of determination, passion, and stubbornness towards the goal can result in its achievement and setting the example for the whole society as well. The story was selected to provide an example regarding determination in relation with a disability, from the story it can be learned that the nothing can stop a person from setting an example of being the best one and from beneficially contributing into his society, be it any kind of disability or anything else. It can be learned that for succeeding, determination, will power, persistence and loyalty towards passion is enough.

References

1. Aghaeepour, Nima, Jalali, Adrin, O’Neill, Kieran, Chattopadhyay, Pratip K, Roederer, Mario, Hoos, Holger H, & Brinkman, Ryan R. (2012). RchyOptimyx: cellular hierarchy optimization for flow cytometry. Cytometry Part A, 81(12), 1022-1030.
2. Aghaeepour, Nima, Nikolic, Radina, Hoos, Holger H, & Brinkman, Ryan R. (2011). Rapid cell population identification in flow cytometry data. Cytometry Part A, 79(1), 6-13.
3. Aubert, Geraldine, Baerlocher, Gabriela M, Vulto, Irma, Poon, Steven S, & Lansdorp, Peter M. (2012). Collapse of telomere homeostasis in hematopoietic cells caused by heterozygous mutations in telomerase genes. PLoS genetics, 8(5), e1002696.
4. Christiuk, Karen Ann. (2013). Portrayals of disability in Canadian newspapers: an exploration of Terry Fox.
5. Curwin, K, Paige, CJ, & Sutcliffe, S. (2011). The Terry Fox Research Institute’s Ontario Dialogue: how will personalized medicine change health care? Current Oncology, 18(1), 33.
6. Deyoe, Rodney H, & Fox, Terry L. (2012). Identifying strategies to minimize workplace conflict due to generational differences. Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, 5, 1.
7. Ellison, Jenny. (2015). A “Unifying Influence on Our Nation”: Making and Remaking the Meaning of Terry Fox. Journal of Canadian Studies, 49(3), 170-190.
8. Foster, Derek S. (2019). Commemoration, Veneration, and Inspiration: Constituting the Terry Fox Public. Journal of Canadian Studies, 53(1), 1-26.
9. Gibson, Brian. (2012). MARATHON OF HURT: The True Meaning of Terry Fox’s Run. Queen’s Quarterly, 119(2), 167.
10. Lee, Michael, Hills, Mark, Conomos, Dimitri, Stutz, Michael D, Dagg, Rebecca A, Lau, Loretta MS, . . . Pickett, Hilda A. (2013). Telomere extension by telomerase and ALT generates variant repeats by mechanistically distinct processes. Nucleic acids research, 42(3), 1733-1746.
11. MacDonald, Tanis. (2011). Terry Fox and the National Imaginary: Reading Eric Walters’s Run. Studies in Canadian Literature/Études en littérature canadienne, 36(1).
12. Makarem, Maisam, Kannan, Nagarajan, Nguyen, Long V, Knapp, David JHF, Balani, Sneha, Prater, Michael D, . . . Eirew, Peter. (2013). Developmental changes in the in vitro activated regenerative activity of primitive mammary epithelial cells. PLoS biology, 11(8), e1001630.
13. Noonan, Mary Jo, & McCormick, Linda. (2014). Teaching young children with disabilities in natural environments: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
14. Perrone, Julie. (2013). Constructing a National Hero: Cancer Politics, Masculinity and Canadian Identity in the Terry Fox Story. Concordia University.
15. Prater, Mary Anne. (2016). Teaching students with high-incidence disabilities: Strategies for diverse classrooms: Sage Publications.
16. Rebollo, Rita, Karimi, Mohammad M, Bilenky, Misha, Gagnier, Liane, Miceli-Royer, Katharine, Zhang, Ying, . . . Hirst, Martin. (2011). Retrotransposon-induced heterochromatin spreading in the mouse revealed by insertional polymorphisms. PLoS genetics, 7(9), e1002301.
17. Scrivener, Leslie. (2014). The marathon of hope.
18. Sheridan, Theatre. (2013). Marathon of Hope, November 27–December 8, 2013.

According to MedicineNet, vaccination is defined as “the injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against the microbe, thereby preventing disease.” Vaccines also called immunizations work by invigorating the immune system, the biological disease-fighting method, and producing antibodies to destroy and immobilize the invading bacteria and viruses. Immunizations prepare the immune system to fight off disease. It is the twenty-first century and medicine is advancing further and further, even to the point where researchers and scientists are able to protect people from abominations that once wiped out entire nations.

The CDC describes how immunizations are actually a good thing by saying, “Proponents say that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century. They point out that illnesses, including rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough, are now prevented by vaccination and millions of children’s lives are saved. They contend adverse reactions to vaccines are extremely rare.” One example of how researchers have fought off dangerous diseases is the prevention of polio. “Polio, “The virus [that] is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis [and death].” The only way to prevent polio is to stimulate your immune system by keeping yourself vaccinated, preferably at the young age of six months, two, and four. Vaccinating yourself and your children seems like a simple decision, but it can actually be of the most challenging choices a person can make, and with every big choice comes risks. That’s why it is important to weigh the pros and cons of keeping up with immunizations.

The pros of vaccinations are vaccines can save people’s lives, vaccines protect future generations, and the ingredients in vaccines are safe while the cons of getting vaccinated are vaccines can cause serious and fatal side effects, mandatory vaccines can sometimes go against religious beliefs, and vaccines are unnatural. First, vaccines save lives. “The American Academy of Pediatrics states that ‘most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease. “According to Shot@Life, a United Nations Foundation partner organization, vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year, which equates to roughly 285 children saved every hour. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination. The measles vaccine has decreased childhood deaths from measles by 74%.” Vaccines do good because they boost the body’s immune system. They help people by fighting off infections and keeping them safe from terrible diseases.

Now vaccines aren’t important to fighting little viruses such as the common cold, but for things like the flu and polio and much more. Even though there are people who look at vaccines as another threat to society, many schools will not let children into their classes because of the threat that they pose to other children. Second, vaccines protect future generations. “Vaccinated mothers protect their unborn children from viruses that could potentially cause birth defects, and vaccinated communities can help eradicate diseases for future generations. Before the rubella vaccine was licensed in 1969, the global rubella (German measles) outbreak caused the deaths of 11,000 babies and birth defects in 20,000 babies between 1963 and 1965 in the United States. Women who were vaccinated as children against rubella have greatly decreased the chance of passing the virus to their unborn or newborn children, eliminating the birth defects, such as heart problems, hearing and vision loss, congenital cataracts, liver and spleen damage, and mental disabilities, associated with the disease.” Years ago, people were dying left and right because of how viruses could wipe out nations.

Their immune systems were simply just too weak. When the bubonic plague was sweeping through Eastern Europe, it was wiping out people left and right. The crazy thing was that no one could understand why. As medicine has advanced, people have been able to withstand crazy epidemics just simply because people have already been exposed to these viruses in small doses so that their bodies could form antibodies. Each time families keep their children current on their shots, they are keeping their own families and other families around them safe. Lastly, the ingredients in vaccines are safe. “Ingredients, such as thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum, can be harmful in large doses but they are not used in harmful quantities in vaccines. Children are exposed to more aluminum in breast milk and infant formula than they are exposed to in vaccines. Paul Offit, MD, notes that children are exposed to more bacteria, viruses, toxins, and other harmful substances in one day of normal activity than are in vaccines. With the exception of inactivated flu vaccines, thimerosal (a mercury compound) has been removed or reduced to trace amounts in vaccines for children under 6 years old.

The FDA requires up to 10 or more years of testing for all vaccines before they are licensed, and then they are monitored by the CDC and the FDA to make sure the vaccines and the ingredients used in the vaccines are safe.” People have donated their lives to research and practices to make sure that immunizations are a safe asset to society and not the other way around. When these microbes are forced to fuse with our immune system, researchers are putting in a safe amount of ingredients, so people’s bodies are able to fight them off. Immunizations are studied in special ways to make sure there is a proper and correct ratio to make sure that humans will have a more successful rate of not showing any side effects. The first of the cons is vaccinations can cause serious and fatal side effects. “According to the CDC, all vaccines carry a risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in about one per million children. The rotavirus vaccination can cause intussusception, a type of bowel blockage that may require hospitalization, in about one per 20,000 babies in the United States. Long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness, and permanent brain damage may be associated with the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) and MMR vaccines, though the CDC notes the rarity of the reaction makes it difficult to determine causation.

The CDC reports that pneumonia can be caused by the chickenpox vaccine, and a ‘small possibility exists that the flu vaccine could be associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disorder in which the person’s immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system, in about one or two per million people vaccinated. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) says that vaccines may be linked to learning disabilities, asthma, autism, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and other disabilities.” Sometimes, people get immunizations and come back with side effects or our bodies are just not successful in fighting off the infection. An example that is most common is when people get an influenza shot. Some people are extremely successful, but some with weak immune systems or even just an unlucky few return with flu-like symptoms. In every case, the worst scenario is death, but that risk comes with side effects. Who wants to willingly take the chance of putting themselves at risk for death? This fact goes even goes down to children.

Children have weaker immune systems, so having children be exposed to that especially when they’re babies is absolutely a ridiculous idea. The second con of getting vaccinated is that mandatory vaccines can sometimes go against religious beliefs. “Several religions oppose vaccines and mandatory vaccinations. The First Amendment of the US Constitution states, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ In the ruling for Cantwell v. Connecticut (1939; 9-0), the US Supreme Court held that state and local governments’ infringement upon religious freedom is also unconstitutional. Some Christian Scientists consider vaccinations against their religion because founder Mary Baker Eddy stated that the ‘calm, Christian state of mind is a better preventative of contagion than a drug, or than any other possible sanative method… the ‘perfect Love’ that ‘casteth out fear is a sure defense.’ Amish communities do not view all vaccinations as ‘necessary’ and some believe that vaccinations weaken the immune system.

The Church of Illumination states that ‘the teachings of the Church unequivocally affirm that injections of vaccines and inoculations are a violation of these biblical teachings… Immunizations and vaccinations are a form of blood pollution because they have devastating effects on the regeneration of the soul that each Church member seeks to attain.’ The Universal Family Church believes that parents should decide whether their children should be vaccinated and that ‘God intends the health decisions of individuals should… be honored by all authorities.’ Taking away someone’s freedom is extremely maddening to people, especially when it infringes upon their religious beliefs. People spend their entire lives devoted to who and what they believe in. Even though organizations will give medical waivers to those who wish to not receive vaccinations, people are still forced with the hard decision of not getting immunizations. They are grouped with judgment and sometimes shame because they differ from their peers who believe in vaccinations. Even though it is a hard choice, their religious beliefs will still compel them to do what they believe is right. The last con in getting vaccinated is that being vaccinated is considered unnatural. “Even pro-vaccine organizations state that natural vaccination causes better immunity.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia notes that ‘It is true that natural infection almost always causes better immunity than vaccines. Whereas immunity from the disease often follows a single natural infection, immunity from vaccines occurs only after several doses.’ Mayo Clinic states that natural infection ‘often provides more complete immunity than a series of vaccinations.’ Kurt Perkins, DC, a chiropractor and wellness expert, stated, ‘A vaccine violates all laws of natural immune defenses by taking a potential pathogen along with all the TOXIC ingredients (aluminum, formaldehyde, adjuvants, etc.) directly into your blood system. This process would never occur in building natural immunity. That last sentence is kind of an oxymoron. Immunity is a natural thing. Vaccines are an artificial thing.’ It seems like people in modern society are trying to reach this natural state. The epidemic goes beyond just medicine, vitamins are starting to incorporate more natural ingredients. The same goes for food and drinks. It seems like businesses are trying to capitalize on the word natural so that way it appeases more people. Going natural is extremely worth it because people are not putting poison and foreign materials in their bodies. In conclusion, there are many pros and cons to getting vaccinated, but in my opinion, the pros most definitely outweigh the cons. If it comes down to the risks versus living off and keeping people safe, I would definitely keep up on my vaccinations. Not only do immunizations keep us safe, but they keep other people safe. After seeing what kinds of diseases and infections that immunizations protect us from, it is important to stop the spread of these diseases and practice healthy habits.

Abstract

This paper explores the many claims of civilians who are either against or against vaccinations for children. There will be at least 2 articles in this paper giving both views on children being immunized and their effects. Some will oppose and say it ends the life of a child rather than helping and some argue that it helps the lives of children from getting fatal diseases. Both articles give different insights into the situation and will eventually lead you to put in your own opinion.

Should Children Be Immunized?

Not getting a vaccine and getting a vaccine can both lead to a deadly end. In this paper, I will reveal both the pros and cons of getting a vaccine as well as explain the risks of getting one for your child. The pros will initially expose the benefits for a child in getting a vaccination whilst the cons will reveal the risks for a child in getting one simple vaccination and how it can potentially harm his/her life permanently. I will also use research strategies from chapter one and chapter two comparing them to the course material. At the end of my essay, I will personally give my opinion on whether children should get vaccinations or not.

Vaccination is preventive and one of the greatest developments in the security of the 21st century, proponents say. We note that vaccinations have been a great help and millions of children’s lives are spared by illnesses such as Rubella, Diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough. Opponents argue and claim that children’s immune systems can cope with most diseases normally and that administering unknown vaccine products to the child can cause side effects, including epilepsy, coma, and even death. Numerous studies have shown that vaccines can cause autism, ADHD, and diabetes problems. In a case study, the percentage of children who were unvaccinated in the study population rose from 0.8% in 2016 to 1.1% in 2017. This means a lot of the children who did not get shots are most likely either sick or about to be, mainly because diseases are all around us almost every single day.

It is extremely rare for vaccines to create an adverse reaction. Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, is the most common side effect which occurs in one per several hundred thousand to one per million vaccinations. MD Chief medical correspondent for CNN and neurosurgeon, Sanjay Gupta, states that an average person or child is 100 times more likely to get struck by lightning than to receive an allergic reaction from vaccines. Opponents claim that vaccines contain harmful Ingredients, most physicians believe that thimerosal which is an organic mercury compound found in one flu vaccine for children and adults is linked to autism.

Aluminum is also used in most vaccines and having too much aluminum inside a human body can cause neurological harm. Another chemical compound that is found in vaccines, Formaldehyde, is a carcinogen. Vaxtruth.org states that any type of exposure can cause side effects such as cardiac impairment, central nervous system depression, coma, convulsions, and even death.

A positive correlation for taking vaccines would be that your child would be out of harm’s way and will have a least likely chance of getting a fatal disease whilst the negative correlation for getting your child a vaccination would be all the side effects and what the effects can do to one’s child. Vaccinations undergo a lot of experiments before any doctor or physician can even give a medical clinic, hospital, etc., vaccinations for children. Therefore, your child would be in good hands before and after getting vaccinations. There are multiple surveys out in the world asking civilians, mostly mothers, if children should get immunized 95% of the outcomes would be that mothers and civilians would go for immunizing their children. Ingredients in vaccines are safe. Meaning that the levels used are appropriate for the ingredients in the vaccinations. Vaccines can contain dangerous concentrations of additives like thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum however breast milk and infant formulas contain more aluminum than in vaccines and children are more exposed to breast milk and formula than they are exposed to vaccines. Paul Offit, MD states that children in one day of normal activity are exposed to more bacteria, viruses, contaminants, and harmful substances than in vaccinations.

However, opponents will continue to argue back and forth that vaccines are harmful and will lead your child to lifelong neurological damage if your child is unlucky. Science has improved along the way, therefore, there is less chance of your child getting a side effect than before but of course, that does not eliminate the possibility of a child getting side effects from vaccinations.

There are a lot of wonderful variables for getting your child immunized. Moreover, it is a lot safer to get your child immunized rather than to not get a vaccine shot for your kid. This can easily be observed through a cross-sectional graph, which will show and collect data from different age cohorts. It will also compare the groups in which ones were okay after the vaccination and which ones got the side effects. The only cons of it would be that you would not be able to look at any other cohorts if no anymore were studied. Side effects from vaccinations will most likely be in the ranges of 3-6 years of age but not all will be affected, maybe one in fourth of the children being studied will get side effects whilst the other ones turned out to be perfectly fine.

In my opinion, I believe that children should be immunized. I say this because I have a daughter of my own and I would want her to be healthy and out of harmful ways (diseases). I disagree with people who oppose vaccinations because it is basically saying that they would rather have their child die or be permanently harmed by not getting a vaccination than get a vaccination so that their child can be out of harm’s way. As a mother, I want my daughter to be healthy and safe from all the diseases that are fatal or can cause any harm to her permanently. I believe all children poor or from wealthy households should be immunized so that they will not catch a disease or even worse be harmed by not getting a vaccine shot. My daughter is my pride and joy, all I want from her is to be happy and healthy just like I would want any other kid to be happy and healthy. As a kid, my mother would get me my vaccine shots and I never really understood why, I always thought it was a checkup or something of that sort but as I grew up, I learned the importance of vaccine shots therefore I will give my daughter, Yazmine, all the required vaccine shots she needs so that I can have the peace of mind that she is okay and healthy.

References

1. Daniel R. Bronfin, MD Childhood Immunization Controversies: What are Parents Saying? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096324/
2. Walter A. Orenstein and Rafi Ahmed Simply put: Vaccination saves lives https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5402432/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096324/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5402432/

Getting children to eat fruits and vegetables is a challenge. Not only is it an obstacle in the United States, but it is challenging globally as well. A sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables are in fact essential for a child’s health. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children eat 1-2 cups of fruit and 1-3 cups of vegetables daily depending on their age, gender, and level of activity. In New Zealand, “the proportion of children meeting the vegetable recommendation has declined, while fruit intake remains unchanged” (‘Children Eating More Fruit, but Fruit and Vegetable Intake Still Too Low’, 2016). These happenings are very alarming, especially with children who are from low-income families. Not having the proper nutrition can result to poor lifestyle choices into adulthood; actions must be taken right now.

Identification of Theory

Allen et al. used the community and group model to conduct this study. Community organizing by community groups assist to discover obstacles and implement strategies to reach goals that have been set. The constructs entail of participation, control, and critical awareness. Empowerment symbolizes social change and the results of that social change.

Several children in New Zealand do not get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. This study helped to identify systemic barriers to children reaching the goal of eating the daily dose of fruits and vegetables. A community group model was used. The research team collaborated with Healthy Families Waitakere. They recruited 17 participants that consisted of parents, students, teachers, community leaders, local retailers, and health promoters from New Zealand. The participants were specifically from West Auckland, a city of a low-income and is ethnically diverse.

Description of Theory

The 17 participants were divided into three groups. In each group, called a workshop created a systems map to identify the gaps within the system. The participants concluded that fast food restaurants are to blame. Fast food restaurants are throughout the community, but also more convenient when families are running on a tight schedule. Other than fast food, parents do not have the time to cook for their children due to their work schedule. It has been said that it is time consuming to be making fruits and vegetables and preparing meals for their children. Lastly, low-income families had to be on a tight budget to buy produce and some did not have enough money to pay for it.

Overview of the Community/Group Model

By using the community group model, this study showed a new perspective of why children are low on their fruit and vegetable intake. The participants were fully aware of this issue and wanted to make actions on how to overcome this challenge. This model was a successful approach to engage the community for important health issues. It was interesting to see that the participants fully understood that when children have the appropriate nutrition, they are more physically, socially, and emotionally healthy. However, due West Auckland, New Zealand, having a low-income population, there was an issue that needed to be addressed.

Conclusion

Ultimately, eating a proper diet including fruits and vegetables will help children perform better in school and will combat obesity. Communities globally should come together and collect ideas for better eating habits in children. New Zealand and the United States share the same issue with fast food being the center of attention within towns and cities. Americans rush from one thing to the next not being able to make healthy foods for themselves or their child. If we take into consideration of the information that this study has revealed, the world would not have fruit and vegetable eating issues. An idea expressed was, “Put a sticker in the window of shops that are healthy. Let’s build on the community spirit here” (Allen et al., 2019). Working together and coming together as a team can do a lot for the community!

References

1. Allan, K., Bartos, A. E., Renker-Darby, A., Eickstaedt, M., Gerritsen, S., Harre, S., … E. Waterlander, W. (2019). Improving Low Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Children: Findings from a System Dynamics, Community Group Model Building Study. PLOS ONE, 14(8), e0221107. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221107
2. ‘Children Eating More Fruit, but Fruit and Vegetable Intake Still Too Low’ (2016, January 1). Retrieved December 9, 2019, from CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0805-fruits-vegetables.html