In: Nursing
Research children's health issues, focusing on environmental factors and links to poverty. The assessment of environmental processes includes agents and factors that predispose communities and populations to injury, illness, and death. What correlations did your research show between environmental and health issues in the school-aged child? Make sure to include references to the article(s) you consulted.
The environment affects children differently than adults. Because their bodies are still growing, children are at greater risk if they are exposed to environmental contaminants. Contaminants are anything that can cause something to become unclean, polluted, or not pure. They can be found anywhere and some are unsafe. A toddler playing in dirt contaminated with high levels of lead can become sick from lead poisoning. A child with asthma playing outside when the air quality is bad may have an asthma attack.
Environmental hazards are not just outside, but can also be found inside a child's home or school. Children living in older homes with lead-based paint can get sick from breathing lead dust or swallowing chipping paint. Drinking water from a private well and even a community water system is also a concern if it's contaminated. Bacteria and other harmful chemicals can be a threat to anyone's health, but especially to young children.
Children are not little adults—their bodies are not the same as adult bodies. Because they are small and still developing, they are more easily exposed to environmental contaminants and here's why:
Much about how the environment can affect our health is unknown. What we do know is that environmental hazard exposure can affect a child's growth and development.