Social Issues

Social issues can greatly affect the health of your community members. Some social issues include organ donation, homelessness and poverty, underage drinking, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and self-harming behavior. By understanding and addressing these social issues, you can help others gain a better quality of life or even survive.

Organ Donation

Organ donation is the removal of the tissues of the human body from a person who has recently died, or from a living donor, for the purpose of transplanting. People need organs for various reasons. For example, they may suffer from a serious accident or a chronic disease, or they may have a disability acquired at birth or later in life. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 110,460 people are on a wait list to receive a viable organ. Eighteen people will die each day because they do not receive a new organ.

The following list includes examples of organs and tissues that can be donated.

• Kidneys
  
• Heart
  
• Liver
  
• Pancreas
  
• Intestines
  
• Lungs
  
• Skin
  
• Bone and bone marrow
  
• Cornea

A single organ donor can potentially save or enhance the lives of as many as eight people in need of an organ transplant. When you apply for a driver’s license or learner’s permit, you will have the option to choose whether or not you want to become an organ donor. If you are under the age of eighteen, you must have the consent of your parent or guardian to be an organ donor.

Homelessness

Homelessness is a social issue that can be found in every part of the world. Perhaps you consider people who live in poverty as the most vulnerable to suffering from homelessness. However, the truth is that no one is completely immune to experiencing the hardship of homelessness due to unexpected tragedies, severe medical conditions, or social conflict. In this interactivity, click each of the tabs to learn more about this important social issue. Click the player button to begin.

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Underage Drinking

Underage drinking is the consumption of alcoholic beverages by someone who is under the legal age, which is twenty-one in most places across the U.S. According to a survey called Monitoring the Future 2015 conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9.7% of eighth graders, 21.5% of tenth graders, and 35.3% of twelfth graders used alcohol in a one-month period.

Serious issues can arise from underage drinking. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that five thousand people under the age of twenty-one die from underage drinking each year in the United States. In addition, the rate of alcohol-related traffic crashes is greater for drivers between the age of sixteen and twenty than for drivers over twenty-one years of age.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is defined as the excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, and medications, just to name a few. This community health issue affects local, national, and global communities. Users can develop cancer, experience changes in their brain function, have respiratory problems, develop a weakened immune system, and risk infertility. In addition, use of illegal substances can spark violent crimes and instability within communities. It is important that community members become involved in helping substance-abuse victims. Click the player button to begin.

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Psychological and Emotional Concerns

Anxiety, mood disorders, and depression are serious social issues. You can help people suffering from mental and emotional problems by asking questions and offering solutions. Remember to always take talks of suicide seriously and intervene immediately. Try to persuade the person to seek help by talking to a parent, counselor, therapist, or trusted adult. In this interactivity, click each of the tabs to learn more about anxiety, mood disorders, and suicide. Click the player button to begin.

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Social Issues Review

Now that you have explored several important social issues such as organ donation, homelessness, underage drinking, substance abuse, and depression, it is time to review your knowledge and practice what you have learned. In this non-graded activity, read the statements and decide whether they are true or false. Click the player button to get started.