Raising Healthy Teens

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Raising Healthy Teens

• Positive Parenting for Adolescent Health A Study
  of Teens in the Twin Cities Metro Area
• Diane Morehouse, QED
• Carol McGee Johnson, Multicultural Issues

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Introduction

• A unique collaboration of health professionals
  and educators
• Research on parenting practices and ways to
  support positive parenting of teens
• To provide information to help design parent
  information campaign

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Raising Healthy Teens

• Learn what and how parents think about parenting
  healthy teens
• Learn what works in raising healthy teens
• Learn what challenges parents face in raising
  healthy teens
• Learn what messages and methods would be
  effective in a social marketing campaign.

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Methods

• Focus groups with parents
• Community Advisory Group
• Interviews with Key Informants
• Mixed method parent surveys

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Community-Based Research

• Recognize and respect the wisdom of the community
• Delegate responsibility and authority
• Provide for mutual benefit

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Community Advisory Group

• 9 members
• Significant stipends
• Four meetings
• Broad responsibilities
• Advise on study design methods
• Recruit organize focus groups

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Community Advisory Group Criteria

• Respected and well known
• Able to see Big Picture
• Capacity to identify and recruit parents
• Know cultural and ethnic communities
• Know community-based organizations
• Represent various sectors

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Focus Groups

• 159 parents 19 groups
• 84 Female
• 64 Urban 36 Suburban
• 69 Two-parent families
• 35 Caucasian (6 groups)
• 21 Hispanic (3 groups)
• 19 African-American (4 groups)
• 10 American Indian (2 groups)
• 10 Hmong (2 groups)

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Study Caveats

• Not intended as a representative sample
• Intentional diversity
• Engaged parents
• Healthy teens

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Finding Parents Have a Broad, Assets-Based
Definition of Health

• What I dont like about that definition is that
  it is sort of a deficit model. If you are free of
  the bad things, you are OK, as opposed to looking
  at the good things. Yes, that is what I want to
  keep my kids away from, but by having the sense
  of belonging and hopefulness and involvement.
  Those are all positive qualities that would be
  part of my definition.

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Finding Parents Have a Broad, Assets-Based
Definition of Health

• High self-esteem
• Good communication skills
• Connected to positive adults
• Engagement and activity

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Parents Said

• I think you have to have all the things we
  talked about to get to that. To have a healthy
  child.

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Finding Parents Utilize Many Strategies to
Impact Health

• Maintain open communication
• Keep teens busy, active,involved
• Hold teens accountable
• Checking up

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Parents Said

• All of a sudden this kid that used to be very
  open doesnt say much...I had to learn to be very
  tuned in...I had to be ready to listen when she
  was ready to talk.
• Its important to keep kids busy and involved.
• They need to know the consequences of certain
  behaviors. I think teens know a lot more than we
  give them credit for.

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Finding Communication is Critical

• Good communication is the best strategy for
  motivating teen health
• Communication is parents biggest challenge
• Communication is the skill parents would most
  like to improve
• Communication skills are a healthy asset for
  teens

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Parents Said

• You have to create an environment where they
  feel they can speak and be heard and valued for
  it.
• Better communication is what Id like to change.
  Sometimes it seems we're never quite going to
  the same place. In fact it seems we are moving
  farther apart every day.

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Finding Parents Want and Need Help From Other
Parents

• Parents feel isolated and insecure
• Parents are hungry to talk/share
• Connections, support and reassurance from
  experienced parents
• Parents want help within their own communities
• Natural Parent Leaders

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Parents Said

• Even to know you are not the worst parent in the
  world. We all have similar issues.
• We are hungry to be the best we can for our
  kids, but it doesnt seem like the resources are
  there for us as parents.
• I think that is probably the biggest thing, just
  to keep connected to other parents.
• The reality is...we know that we are the real
  experts. We know whats worked...

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Finding A Variety of Messages for Parents

• Accountability -Parenting With Limits
• Checking Up - Staying in Their Face
• Communication- Talk to and Listen to Your Kids
• Role Modeling Model the Behavior You Expect
• Parent Involvement Being There is a Big Thing

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Observation There are Many Similarities

• Communication
• Active Involvement
• Accountability
• Peers
• Quality Time
• Health as a Positive Construct

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Observation There are Many Differences

• Low income parents sometimes feel powerless
• Middle income parents struggle to find a balance
  between work and family
• Upper income parents struggle to balance their
  expectations and their teens well being

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Observation There are Many Differences

• Parents of color, immigrants and non-English
  speakers face unique challenges
• Need to teach good survival skills
• Authoritarian parenting style
• Anger at systems
• Unique challenges for immigrants

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Observation No Best Way to Share Messages

• Different messages in different communities
• Culturally specific messages in communities of
  color
• Use ethnic media and members of the community in
  design and delivery
• Traditional and non-traditional

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Observation See Parents as Experts

• A Paradigm Shift
• Parents value each other over experts
• Experts as facilitators and coaches
• Experts should build natural parent leaders

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Observation A Grassroots Approach

• Build parent support networks making use of
  natural leaders
• Build community alliances to test and deliver a
  social marketing campaign