First released in 2007, Rosen's Teen Health & Wellness is unique as a database specifically designed for teens looking for information about emotional, mental, and physical health, not only for report writing but also for coping with questions that arise in their personal lives. In addition to expanded and updated content, recent enhancements provide more interactivity for teens and more useful tools for librarians and teachers.
The home page still welcomes users with photos of teens; current news ("Teen Workforce on the Decline," on October 19); an interactive health quiz; and a personal story from a teen ("Being in a Wheelchair Has Made Me Stronger," on October 19). Users can now contribute personal stories of their own. Dr. Jan's Corner continues to provide answers to questions about mental health issues from Jan Hittleman, a licensed psychologist.
The database has been updated with new articles in areas such as financial literacy, green living, and sexual health. Recommended reading lists of fiction and nonfiction related to the articles have been added, and users can suggest other titles for inclusion. The resource lists are updated with national and international (mostly Canadian) organizations. Previous home-page content is now accessible in an archive, and a new search widget makes it easy to access the site from any school or library Web site. Other enhancements are aimed at librarians and educators: lesson plans correlated to state and national curriculum standards, webinars for continuing education as well as prerecorded webcasts, customizable promotional materials for both school and public libraries, and more.
The database is searchable via the search box or through alphabetical and subject browse. A menu on the home page provides easy access to a wide variety of information on topics related to basic human anatomy and physiology, diseases and conditions, disabilities, diversity issues, family issues, safety, and many other concerns facing teens. An editorial board of physicians, nurses, psychotherapists, and other health professionals reviewed all of the content. The articles are easy to read, divided into sections that are listed on the left for easy linking. All have resource lists and links to glossary terms. Many have "Ten Great Questions to Ask" your doctor, therapist, etc. The content is designed to both inform and support teens. Articles on disabilities include information about living with them. Articles on sensitive topics such as sexual orientation discuss issues such as the pros and cons of coming out and the challenges of having gay parents. The database also has a list of hotlines, useful for both emergency and referral purposes. Many articles have their own Hotline links as well.
Teen Health & Wellness continues to be an excellent resource for school and public libraries as well as academic libraries supporting counseling programs. Students seeking in-depth information about health and wellness issues will need to supplement what they find here with other resources, but this database provides a strong introduction, especially to psychosocial issues as well as support for those who are dealing with problems.
Source Citation
Bibel, Barbara. "Another look at: Teen Health & Wellness." Booklist 1 Dec. 2009: 70. General OneFile. Web. 15 June 2010.
Document URL
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Gale Document Number:A214101778
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