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Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW

Article Review

EDP 6601
Theories of Human Development

Prepared for:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nik Ahmad Hisham Bin Ismail

Prepared by:
Siti Noor Fauziah Abd Rahim
G0911418

International Islamic University Malaysia

Institute of Education
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Roy, E., Haley, N., Boudreau, J.F., Leclerc & P. Boivin, J.F. (2009). The Challenge of
Understanding Mortality Changes among Street Youth. Journal of Urban Health:
Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 87 (1). pp.95-101.

Summary

The importance of monitoring risky behaviors among street youth to ensure

morbidity and mortality is the main focus of researchers in this article. The cohort study
that was conducted in Montreal, Quebec from 1995-2001 reported that the mortality rate
among youth was 921/100,000 person-years. This is due to various characteristics
including HIV infection, daily alcohol consumption, homelessness, drug injection and
male sex. However in the present study which covers the ranged of years between 2001-
2006 show the decreasing in the mortality rates.

Findings concluded that the mortality decline cannot be completely explained by

a similar decrease among the general population or by a difference in distribution of risks
factor between the two cohorts. The additional analyses are done in order to draw a
confirming premise for this. Presently, the proportions of street youth using heroin
decreased significantly between 1995-2005, however the association between heroin
taken to mortality was not significant. This shows that, there are many factors that
contribute to mortality rates among street youth. The results suggested that one of
probable reasons on increasing rate of mortality among street youth is the implementation
of new services for the homeless in term of access to housing and to social and health
care.

Haley and friends addresses a significant point in this study which is despite the
decrease in mortality rates in this marginalized population in two compared cohorts, it is
still higher than in the general populations The maintenance of public funding in order to
strengthen the preventive work and the development of innovative services towards
homeless people in this area are suggested.
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Evaluation

This article was by far is one of the best research article reviewed. Haley and
colleagues have produced a very informative and beneficial longitudinal study. The study
was very focusing on examining the mortality changes of rates in street youth in
Montreal. The methods and measures employed were suited well with the nature of
investigating issue. I believed that when people think about the consequences of street
youth life, one major concern is dealing with the risks behaviors among them especially
the drug addictions and crimes. People tend to predict that related drugs that normally
taken by this so-called ‘vulnerable’ people lead to death. However, the findings tabulated
support that there is a decrease in the heroin consumption between the years of 1995 to
2005.

World Health Organization (WHO) asserted that mortality is refers to data in

which indicates statistics of deaths by place, time and cause. In this context, WHO’s
mortality data is are registered by national civil registration systems of death with the
underlying cause of death coded by the national authority. The underlying cause of death
is defined as “the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading
directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the
fatal injury”, in accordance with the rules of the International Classification of Diseases
(World Health Organization Mortality Data).

With this regard, I believed that mortality is one of the major concerns in global
health issue. Several studies had been done and supported this assertion (Mathers et.al,
2005). There are various indicators for certain risk factors which are associated with
increased mortality and morbidity. World Health Statistics 2010 recently reported that the
low birth weight , being overweight or obese, poor infant feeding practices, childhood
malnutrition, harmful consumption of alcohol, the use of solid fuels in households, unsafe
water, lack of sanitation, the use of tobacco, and unsafe sex are some of the preventable
risks. Low birth weight is an important predictor of the health and survival of the
newborn in many settings. However, this is not become a major concern in several places
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particularly where deliveries taken place outside health-care amenities thus many babies
are not weighed at birth. Another broadly used indicator of nutritional status is child
growth. It comprises three indicators: stunted, underweight and overweight. Stunting
refers to low height for age that indicates the increasing effects of malnutrition and
infections since birth and also before birth. This shows severe malnutrition and expected
to have the most serious and long-lasting impact on health. On the other hand, being
underweight that refers to low weight for height perhaps reflect wasting which indicates
serious weight loss and/or stunting. Another predictors concerned are the current tobacco
smoking which is increasing in its frequency usage that may lead to tobacco-related
illness, detrimental alcohol use that can cause alcohol dependence, hepatic cirrhosis,
cancer and injuries and also the unsafe water supplies and inadequate levels of sanitation
that is potentially increase the spread of several contagious diseases (World Health
Statistics, 2010).

From the reports, it becomes to our knowledge that the described predictors are
some of the leading factors of death. As far as my understanding is concerned, I can say
that to find a truly factor of mortality in one specific group is a challenging task. This is
because, the causes are varies. Perhaps the data shown in certain duration of time (i.e five
years time) may not be same for the next data findings. However, by understanding the
statistics of the changes in rates of mortality, it will aid in investigating the contributing
factors that may cause the death in this group of people. It would be not exaggerating if I
say that, fate and destiny also one of the factors. By and large, we are encouraged to do
efforts in life. In this context, I guessed the approaches taken to prevent and ways
planned to help sufferers from severe health problems such as drug addictions and serious
illnesses are correspond to the aforementioned efforts.

As proverb says; prevention is better than cure. Thus, to stop something bad
happening is better than dealing with something bad that already took place. Scientists do
not have a simple explanation for the common cold, much less cancer. They also do not
have suggestion for immortality. However, they do have advice on how to reduce
illnesses and stay healthy. Humanistic and health psychologist in this regard has explored
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ways to promote good health by adopting a healthier lifestyle (Morris & Maisto, 2005). It
includes avoiding high-risk behaviors, eating well-balanced diet, getting regular exercise
and not smoking are all important to maintaining health and survival.

In sum, the risk factor behaviors as discussed before are potentially to impact ones
health and well-being. Therefore, more research is in great demand especially on the
minority group of people which suffers risk in their life to uncover and reveal their real
conditions in order to help them out. The risk factor indicators are also really essential to
reflect the extent to which people in need such as these street youths, children, and
women and related others to receive important health services and interventions. Such
interventions may include the provision of medical officers to this group of people and
skilled care and treatment to street youths that suffer the serious ills and to provide
immunization in order to prevent common infections.

By and large, this research precisely will benefit health psychologist, medical and
clinical officers, health organizations and relevant authority to acknowledge the mortality
rates and its causes among street youths. By counting dead and the reason of the death,
the quality of life and factors contributed are able to access. In the meantime, some
interventions and program also can be outlined to overcome the prevailing factors and to
rescue them from severe death.
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References

Mathers, C.D., Fat, D.M., Inoue, M., Rao, C. & Lopez, A.D. ( 2005). Counting the dead
and what they died from: an assessment of the global status of cause of death data.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 83 (3). pp.171-180.
Morris, C.G & Maisto A.A. (2005). Psychology; an Introduction. 12 ed. Pearson;
Prentice Hall.

Roy, E., Haley, N., Boudreau, J.F., Leclerc & P. Boivin, J.F. (2009). The Challenge of
Understanding Mortality Changes among Street Youth. Journal of Urban Health:
Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 87 (1). pp.95-101.

World Health Statistics 2010 published by World WHO Statistical Information System
(WHOSIS) retrieved from
http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2010/en/index.html,
on November 6, 2010.

World Health Organization Mortality Data, retrieved from

http://www.who.int/healthinfo/statistics/mortdata/en/index.html, on November 6,
2010.