Health Information for Kids, Teens and Seniors, Oh My!

Kelli Ham, MLISConsumer Health CoordinatorNN/LM Pacific Southwest Region

An Infopeople WebinarOctober 28, 200812pm-1pm

Infopeople webcasts are supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Objectives

Attendees will be able to understand the different health information

needs of children, teens and older adultsrefer users to quality age-appropriate health

resources provide health programming of interest to

users at various life stages engage community partners to enhance

services

Agenda

Different Ages, Different Needs

Health Information for Young PeopleYoung people have health information needs, but they may not think of it in those terms.

Information-seeking Behavior

Young children rely on trusted adults for information

Older kids more likely to ask friends rather than an adult

Teens more likely to go online or look up information on their own

Often tech-savvy, but not about evaluating quality of health information on the web

What is on their Minds?(The Short List.)Young children

body parts, pooping and peeingGrade school

body fluids (barf, snot, sweat)Tweens

puberty!Teens

acne, dieting, sex (not necessarily in that order)

What Do They Actually Ask?

Poll: Do you serve young patrons?

If so, please describe one or two health-related requests you’ve received. What are some challenges in serving young users?

Kid’s Health Info on the Web

The Good NewsLots of quality content

for all agesInteractive websitesGreat opportunities for

librarians to teach

The Bad NewsLots of bad contentKids lack evaluation

skillsFew opportunities to

learn best resources on their own

Great Online Starting Points

KidsHealth.org A health site for kids, teens and parents, including a teachers’ section with lesson plans for different ages and grades.

BAM! This site from the CDC is for kids 9-13 years old. The Teacher’s Corner includes activities and guides on health topics.

Yucky From Discovery Health for Kids, the Gross & Cool Body site is an interactive, fun and informative site on things like “Pimples, burps, farts and funnybones.” That says it all!

Kids Healthkidshealth.org

Different Styles for Kids and Teens

KidsHealth in the Classroom

KidsHealth Game Closet

Experiments and games offer plenty of ideas for fun activities

BAM! Body and Mind from the CDC

BAM! Classroom has numerous activities of interest to kids and teens

bam.gov

BAM! Teacher’s Corner

Yucky from Discovery Kidsyucky.discovery.com

Teacher Center on the Yuckiest Site

Additional Kid-Friendly Sites

girlshealth.gov

mypyramid.gov/kids

toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/

MedlinePlus Childrens’ and Teens’ pages

For girls 10-16 years old

girlshealth.gov

All about Girls Health

MyPyramid.gov/kids

Blast Off Game in MyPyramid.gov

MedlinePlus Children’s Page

MedlinePlus Teen’s Page

ToxMystery for Children Ages 7-10 Years

toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov

Interactive Fun and Learning

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Environmental Health and Genetics

For older students:

ToxTown

Genetics Home Reference

Tox TownResource about environmental hazards in common places

toxtown.nlm.nih.gov

Welcome to the Farm

Genetics Home ReferenceUser-friendly site to help understand genetics

ghr.nlm.nih.gov

In General…Young peoplelike to have fun while learningprefer activities (not passivities)like teaching or learning from

other kidsenjoy creating the content or

planning the activitywant to use technology

The trick is tying it together with health as the program idea.

FACT: Health topics are inherently dull, boring, or embarrassing

So how do you make it fun?

Wacky titles already in your collection Utilize the web – games, quizzes Use technology whenever possibleInvolve your young patrons – ask them!

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What Works in your Library?

Story time for the very youngDemonstrations and hands-on experiments Games, activities, scavenger huntsTechnology

online interactive resources Wii Fit; Dance, Dance Revolution

Use Popular Titles for Storytime Ideas or Fun Activities for Older Kids

Reaching Teens through Technology

Hold training classes geared to kids & teens!

Consider This…

Content created by and for teens, kidshealth topic pathfinderspodcastsvideo tutorialspeer tutor programsJeopardy-type quiz shows, games in PowerPoint

Partnership IdeasSchools

Librarian, instructional media staff, school nurseHospitals

Librarian, pediatrics staff, patient education dept.Youth organizations

Boys and Girls Clubs, ScoutsFitness programs like Students Run LA

Peer tutoring programs*

*High school peer tutors teach MedlinePlus: a model for Hispanic outreach J Med Libr Assoc. 2005 April; 93(2): 243–252.

Health Information for Older AdultsGood health information is needed at every stage, from the Boomer generation to the elderly

What Appeals to Older Adults?

They…

want quality information

appreciate help with technology

are likely to have more health issues and concerns

Common Themes for Older Adults

What are some

common themes or

issues for health-

related questions

from older adults in

your setting?

Information Needs of Seniors

TOPIC MEETING THE NEED

Diseases and conditions

Wellness and prevention

Alternative therapies

Healthy aging

Medicare and insurance

Caregiving, end-of-life

Books, print materials

Videos, DVDs

Appropriate websites

Directories of services

Targeted programs

Computer training

Trends in Information-seeking BehaviorRanges from traditional to high-tech

Seniors and Health Information

Becoming more proactive about their health

Willing to seek second opinion (which may be why they are at the library!)

Becoming more tech-savvy (but not always)

Some will still prefer print or media resources

Older seniors more likely to trust doctor’s advice

Best Starting PlacesNIHSeniorHealth

nihseniorhealth.gov

MedlinePlusmedlineplus.gov

National Institute on Agingnia.nih.gov

NIHSeniorHealthDesigned especially for older adults

nihseniorhealth.gov

MedlinePlusmedlineplus.gov

National Institute on Agingnia.nih.gov

Benefits and Insurance Programs

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicescms.hhs.gov

GovBenefitsgovbenefits.gov

Benefits Checkupbenefitscheckup.org

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicescms.hhs.gov

Medicare Home Page

Resources for CaregiversTools to compare hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care services; provides help for caregivers.medicare.gov/caregivers

GovBenefitsgovbenefits.gov

Benefits Checkupbenefitscheckup.org

Senior Housing Locator

Program Ideas for Seniors

Fitness and wellness – pedometers for walking programs, Tai Chi, chair yoga

Medicare and insurance benefits talks

Talks by local healthcare providers, such as “Fit to a T” osteoporosis awareness sessions

Nutritious cooking for one or two

Caregiver workshops

Computer training especially for seniors

Helping Older Adults Search for Health Information Online: A Toolkit for Trainersnihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit

Partnerships Make SenseExtend servicesDraw on strengths and assets of partnerCan achieve more together than aloneServe larger audience

Ideas for Partners to Serve Seniors

Senior centers

Nearby hospital librarian

Churches

HUD Neighborhood Networks

Community-based organizations

Discussion & Final Thoughts

Poll: Please describe either a health-related program you have held in your library, or at least one idea you might try.

Kelli Ham, Consumer Health Coordinatorkkham@library.ucla.edu

NN/LM Pacific Southwest RegionUCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library

Thank You!