Physician Assistants and Adolescent Health
Pennsylvania physician assistant Rebecca "Joey" Soward and North Carolina physician assistant Charlene Morris are featured in an article about adolescent health in the Feb. 15 issue of AAPA News.
According to the report, adolescents are more likely than other age groups to engage in risky behavior that threatens their present and future health. PA Rebecca Soward says poor eating habits, obesity and eating disorders are common with the teens she treats at Pediatric Practices of Northeast Pennsylvania, which is a federally qualified rural health clinic. Soward noted that educating her patients on healthy decision-making is a big part of her job. “Many adolescents are engaging in very ‘adult’ behavior, without having the education and life experience to make the best decisions,” she said.
PA Charlene Morris, who works at Pamlico Medical Center in rural Bayboro, N.C., said that although most teenagers she treats are healthy and functional, she has noticed an increase in risk-taking behavior among some of her patients. “What was considered renegade behavior a generation ago is now often considered mainstream, including tattoos, piercings, gauged piercings and even self-mutilation,” Morris said.
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