Young people`s attitudes to healthy living

YOUNG PEOPLE 'S ATTITUDES

TO HEALTHY LIVING

Background

Currently , there is a widespread agreement that children and teenagers must be conferred with about their health and health needs and that their opinions must be taken into consideration in the planning and formulation of health services . With the confirmation and endorsement of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by the UK government in 1991 and specifically Art 12 --- which supported and strengthened the movement towards a fuller involvement of children and young people in decision-making --- there

has been tremendous amount of legislation that eventually concluded with the passing of the Children Act 2004 . For example , the five outcomes exemplified in Every Child Matters , include `make a positive contribution ' which assimilates the concepts of involvement and participation . The value and implication of listening to young people , and taking their views seriously , is likewise mirrored with the recent appointment of the first Minister for Children in England . Moreover , each nation in the UK now has a statutory Children 's commissioner and one of the more important functions this person has to perform is to listen to , represent , and respond to the views of children and young people

Governmental departments have been made responsible in taking this participation agenda to move on and move fast and the Children 's and Young People 's Unit described how the Government wants children and young people to have more opportunities to get involved in the design provision and evaluation of policies and services that affect them or which they use (CYPU , 2001

The challenge is being faced and there are now countless manifestations of how models of participation are being , and can be , effectively executed (Kirby et al , 2003 Mason and Fattore , 2005 ) to be `meaningful efficient and sustainable (Sinclair , 2004 . Participation has also turned to become a vital component of many new national frameworks for youth action (Russell , 2005 . Various schemes and proposals in the health and health care domains are growing , and it is highly probable that the agenda has considerably changed Hart and Chesson contended in 1998 that although children are chief users of health services , they are hardly ever consulted as healthcare consumers . Their needs were certainly at that time , given insufficient priority by policy makers and health service professionals despite a recommendation by the British government 's health committee that changes in attitudes were needed to encourage greater heed of children 's voices and views

Lately , initiatives in this direction , the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (2005 ) came up with a strategy to foster participation of children and young people in pediatric activity which , very aptly draws on the findings from consultations with children and young people as well as members of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health committees and RCPCH staff . It was also propped up by a young person 's advisory group . And as part of the development of a single inspection framework following the Every Child Matters Green , there...