Native American Women & Sexual Abuse

Some days I wish I did not know things. For example, did you know that one in three American Indian women (34.1percent) experience rape in their lifetime as compared with 18 percent of white women and 19 percent of African American women? This may have something to do with the fact that Tribal Law Enforcement cannot arrest non-natives for crimes committed on reservations, or with high rates of alcohol use, or maybe a combination of these factors.

When a woman is sexually assaulted, she is vulnerable and scared, but needs to be examined before she showers, using a police rape kit to collect forensic evidence. In addition, she should be tested for sexually transmitted infection, and maybe treated preventively.

Most hospitals have nurses trained to be a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE), which teaches them how to use the rape kit and care for a rape victim in a respectful manner, but the exception may be hospitals within the Indian Health Service (IHS).

The native American Women's Health Education Resource Center reports that 44% of IHS hospitals do not have SANE-trained personnel, and in some places, there is only a medical professional available once a week. In addition, there is no support for the lifelong process required to recover from a sexual assault, which happens most often to young women. Community-based organizations, like the Rape Abuse & Incest national Network (RAINN), can fill the gap for support, but once the forensic evidence is lost, it is too late for any chance of prosecution, leaving rapists at large.

Photo credit: maveric2003

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Baby Sitting Rules & Conversation

If you have teenagers, chances are good that they babysit, and it is very common for families to have rules about babysitting. For example, while babysitting teens should:

• not have friends over or talk to friends on the phone;
• not babysit until after 9 PM on school nights;
  
• have a contact phone number for the parents during the evening;
• have a permission to authorize medical treatment;
  
• know the insurance information for the family; and
  
• agree on fees before accepting the job.

It is also common for the family s/he is working for to bring her home, but have you ever specifically said to your teen that if the parents s/he was babysitting for appear to have been drinking, s/he is to call you for a ride home instead?

Given that most people seem to understand "it is never OK to drink and drive," I cannot say this would have occurred to me, but I think it is extremely important and well worth a conversation.

Teens sometimes tend to trust adults, and your teen may not stop and think about getting into the car with a family friend who has been drinking the same way you expect him or her to with a peer, so please, talk about it before s/he makes a poor decision. Let your teen know that you would rather get woken up to drive a child home then for him or her to get a ride with someone who had been drinking.

Photo credit: caswell_tom

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Eating Rainbows

Nutritionists tell us that a rainbow of colors offers balanced nutrition and it is fun to talk with kids about the food pyramid and how eating a variety of foods and different colors is healthy! To support that idea the new food pyramid has food groups represented by six different colors:

• Orange - grains
• Green - vegetables
• Red - fruits
• Yellow - oils
• Blue - milk products
• Purple - meats and beans
  

Foods from each group should be eaten daily because different colored food has different nutrients. For example:

• Red foods contain lycopene, which is known to reduce prostate cancer risk;
• Green foods contain antioxidants;
• Yellow and orange foods are rich in beta-carotene and strengthen our immune system;
• Blue & purple foods contain anthocyanins that may prevent heart disease; and
• White foods like garlic have anti-tumor properties.
  

What is cool about eating the rainbow is that you can try and find foods in different colors - orange tomatoes, yellow peppers, purple brocolli, which is usually easier at a farmer's market than your corner grocery store. Nine a day would be good, so get cooking!

Photo credit: sylvar

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

The Line Between Enabling and Supporting

To be healthy teens need to assume responsibility for their lives gradually, as they are emotionally ready for it, but hopefully before they need the skills to live independently. Some of the basic skills they will need include getting up on time, feeding themselves, driving, managing money, cleaning their space, basic work skills, and manners.

I spend a lot of time encouraging parents to be supportive of their teens and hear many stories about how hard it is to stick to being supportive without enabling our teens to be too dependent on us.

For example, if we wake our teen up every day, and one day we wake him or her up late, whose fault is it - theirs for not using an alarm clock, or ours for waking them up late - or maybe for waking them up everyday?

How about screaming bloody murder about the mess in the house - is it their fault for leaving their stuff wherever they drop it, or ours for not teaching (and requiring) them to pick up after themselves every day?

Same goes for coming home after a long day to hungry teens who chose to wait for you rather than feed themselves - who takes the responsibility?

I am not meaning to sound the "it is always the parents fault" siren, really, I am not! I think it is important though to be conscious about how our behavior as parents is impacting our teen. If what we do is comfortable for us and helps them be independent, then great - we are good. If however, we are doing too much for them, it might be worth readjusting everyone's expectations and being clear about or expectations in relation to skills they need to develop!

Just a thought this morning!



Photo credit: freeparking

Permalink | 0 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment

Obesity - Trying to Slow the Growth

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that in 2007 the percentage of adults that were considered obese (based on their BMI score) had grown to 26 percent, compared to about 15 percent in 1978. It is estimated that more than 17% of teens are obese, as well!

Given the increase in obesity, and the increasing amount of screen time teens are experiencing, San Mateo County in California has developed a Web site dedicated to engaging youth in the effort to combat obesity. You can see it at Get Healthy SMC. On the site parents, community members and youth will find links to facts, exercise and eating tips, as well as plenty of encouragement to get fit!

I found several very interesting resources, including a page for parents that includes several great resources including information for African American families, material in Spanish, and a five-page document about how to avoid using food rewards in classrooms.

Let's get active!

Photo credit: hobbs_luton

Permalink | 1 Comments| Email Post

Post your comment