1. Sexual Education Issues Paper<br />NURS 420 – Pediatric Nursing<br />Purpose of Assignment<br />The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the opportunity to identify and investigate a social issue or problem specifically related to the pediatric population. The student will research the topic integrating knowledge of growth and development, psych-social, physical and nursing sciences. <br />Student Approach to Assignment<br />I chose a topic that has always been important to me – sexual education in schools. By writing this paper, I had to research all perspectives on sexual education to adequately educate myself. I discovered that this hotly-debated topic is not as clear cut as I previously believed. <br />Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio<br />I believe that this paper shows my ability to research all sides of an issue and present it without showing bias. Because this is a topic I feel strongly about, I feel that it is an important issue paper to showcase. The following program objectives are highlighted in this paper:<br />Teaching<br />Uses information technologies and other appropriate methods to enhance one’s own knowledge base<br />I used the research I did for this paper to further my knowledge on this subject that I am so very passionate about. I believe that everyone should have a passion and when it comes to the education of tomorrow’s youth, this is mine. <br />Research<br />Differentiates between descriptive nursing literature and published reports of nursing research<br />Two such articles I used in these papers include the research article about the frequency and pregnancy rates between those who receive abstinence-only and comprehensive sexual education as well as the rates of sexually transmitted infections. A second article is purely descriptive in discussing a horrifying incident of a pregnant eighteen-year-old who dropped her child down a trash shoot from the seventh floor during a family vacation. The difference in descriptive and study articles is the basis in research or<br />Culture<br />Articulates an understanding of how human behavior is affected by culture, race, religion, gender, lifestyle and age <br />The perspective of young children and teenagers is based on the present and what is fun and enjoyable in this moment with little to no concern for the future. If children are told “no” repeatedly about a topic with no explanation as to why, they will choose to do it after all when unsupervised. The young age and lack of knowledge combine to get them into sex-related problems. One of the studies I used in this paper show the high correlation between characteristics including being black from an inner city with a non-intact family, and the likelihood of having a sexually transmitted infection and unintended pregnancy.<br />Considers the impact of research outcomes and the effects of health and social policies on persons from diverse backgrounds<br />One of the research articles I used for these papers included one in which the researchers discovered that while all teenagers are at risk for diseases, pregnancies, etc., but certain divisions of teens are at higher risk than others. For example, blacks from inner cities and non-intact families are at higher risk for sexually transmitted infections and unplanned teenage pregnancies.<br />