MEDICAL
INFORMATION
FOR KIDS
INFORMATION
FOR KIDS
LATEST NEWS
01 Jan 2011 | Press Release
When Cathy Young wants to explain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to the children she works with, she gives them a Medikidz guide called What's up with Astra?
'If we give them a regular information book they are not interested,' says Ms Young, an ADHD nurse specialist at Scunthorpe General Hospital, South Humberside. 'This book helps personalise ADHD.'
She says there are few books on ADHD written for young adolescents - most are aimed at parents. 'This book fills that gap in the market.'
Ms Young works with children with ADHD between the ages of six and 18. She uses the books for the 12-plus age group.
The Medikidz comic book range, which covers 30 different health problems, is based around the superhero characters Skinderella, Axon, Chi, Pump and Gastro.
Each is an expert on a different part of the body. Skinderella knows all about skin and bones, Axon is the brain specialist, Chi knows all about the lungs, Pump is an expert on the heart, and Gastro knows about your tum, bum and all the tubes in between. They live on a planet called Mediland, which is shaped like the human body.
Children with medical conditions such as ADHD and asthma, and those who have parents with conditions such as HIV or breast cancer, visit Mediland to learn more about these conditions. The characters take children on a tour to explain how it works at a level the children can understand. For the asthma book the characters enter the respiratory system and walk around the lungs, and for the ADHD book they visit the brain. The breast cancer book features little creatures that represent cancer cells - these split in half at a fast pace, taking over the milk ducts. Age-appropriate language and a format that appeals to young adolescents makes the books popular. 'It is interesting and set out well for this age group,' says Ms Young.
She says feedback from young people who have read the books has been positive. 'They say it has helped them understand what ADHD is about, and that they can show it to their friends to help explain why they behave the way they do' she says.
Edwina Wooler, senior paediatric respiratory nurse specialist at Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton, contributed her expertise to the Medikidz asthma book 'What's up with Max?'. She now uses it as part of an asthma action plan.
'The characters take a boy called Max, who has asthma inside the lungs, to find out what happens when he has an asthma attack' says Ms. Wooler.
With more than a hint of humour, Max meets an army of foreign invaders who do some kicking about inside the lungs to demonstrate the immune system. They also demonstrate the sensitivity found in people with asthma, with cries of 'I need a hug'.
The superheroes then explain to Max what his medicine does and why it is important that he keeps taking it.
Popular format
'The characters are bold and colourful and the comic book format has massive appeal for that age group. It is engaging and the language is clever. It is always difficult to find language that is not babyish or too adult,' she says.
Like Ms Young, Ms Wooler sees the books as filling a gap in the market. 'There is plenty of information for the under eights and for adults, but there is a yawning gap when it comes to adolescents.
'Young people can be fickle. If they see a cuddly bear on the front of a book, they will put it down. The books are age-specific, and are great as part of a package of educational material to take away.'
The corresponding website www.medikidz.com combines the virtual world of the human body with a child-friendly medical encyclopaedia and a fully moderated social network for children around the globe to connect with.
Jan Morrison, lead cancer and breast care nurse at Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, Surrey, says the website is a good resource for teenagers.
One of her patients was involved in helping develop the Medikidz guide to breast cancer called What's up with Bridget's Mum? 'We have a Macmillan information centre with self-help books on display, and will have the Medikidz book alongside it. We would not talk directly to the children but would tell the patient about the book as part of our support.'
Each of the books is written by a doctor and a graphic novelist, and peer reviewed by a leading professor and clinical nurse specialist within the field.
Relevant charities are sent copies to review so that people with the related condition and their families to comment on the suitability of the material.
'It is important that the books are written by professionals so that they are accurate,' says Ms Morrison. 'It has been about patient involvement. But one thing I do not think it tackles is the issue of time. Teenagers want to know how long this will go on for.'
Originally founded in New Zealand in 2006 and launched in the UK in September 2009, Medikidz is the brainchild of doctors Kim Chilman-Blair and Kate Hersov.
'We started the company because of the frustration we felt working with young people when there was nothing to give them to help them understand their condition or their parents' condition,' says Dr Hersov. 'All the literature was directed towards the patients.'
'I was working with a 12-year-old boy with leukaemia. I gave pamphlets to his parents and he asked: 'Where's the information for me?' It made me realise how vitally important it is for young people to be given information.
Before the launch, research was conducted into the best way to communicate. 'Heroes and comics came on top for a number of reasons,' says Dr Hersov. 'They span the age ranges from seven to 14, and it means the older children do not feel patronised in the way they would with a picture book.'
Dr Hersov talks proudly of a 34-year-old woman who was diagnosed with asthma at the age of nine. After reading the Medikidz asthma book, the woman finally understood her condition for the first time. She described it as a revelation, says Dr Hersov, and 'absolutely wonderful'.
'From a health professional's point of view it is nice to feel that we are providing the family and patient with this kind of support'.