Key Points
As a PHC worker you should be familiar with the signs of risks. The sample provided below is a good starting point.
Sample “At Risk” Profile
An “at risk” child is one who:
• Was born with a weight below 2.5 kg
• Is a twin or triplet
• Is not breastfeeding or having difficulty breastfeeding
• Has not been immunized or defaulted on immunisation
• Was born within 2 years of the previous child
• Is failing to thrive or is malnourished
• Does not meet their development milestones
• Is of school age but is not in school
• Has a disability. See Annex 6
• Is the child of an adolescent
• Is exposed to violence, abuse, exploitation or neglect
• Is exposed to secondary smoke
• Has parents who engage in excessive alcohol consumption
• Is being raised by single parents
• Is being raised by grandparents
An ‘at risk’ youth
• Changes in eating habits or unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Inability to sleep or sleeping too much
• Smell of substance on breath, body or clothes
• Extreme hyperactivity, excessive talkativeness
• Needle marks on lower arm, leg or bottom of feet
• Change in personality, mood or interests
• Change of friends, or new friends that may be known drug users
• Secretive or suspicious behavior
• Change in daily habits, activities or grooming
An ‘at risk’ woman is one:
• Whose pregnancies have been either too young (<18 yrs), too old (>35 yrs), too many (>5 children), or too close together (less than 2 years between children)
• Who has had previously complicated pregnancies or deliveries
• Who had had poor outcomes in previous pregnancies
• Who is currently facing complications during pregnancy
• Who is pregnant and shorter than 150 cm
• Who is pregnant and is an adolescent
• Who is a victim of domestic abuse
• Who is obese
• Who has a disability
• Who has HIV
• Who is having diabetes, hypertension, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and heart disease
An ‘at risk’ man is one:
• Who is obese
• Who has a disability
• Who has HIV
• Who is having diabetes, hypertension, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and heart disease
An ‘at risk’ household is one that:
• Is experiencing poverty
• Practices open defecation
• Has an ill person living in the home requiring care
• Has a child, youth, woman or adult with an at risk profile
• Is situated in an unclean, unhealthy environment especially animal faeces