By Carol A. Cates, MSN, MBA, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Odessa Regional Medical Center
My husband’s first day of school is today. Since he is a department chair at the school where he teaches, he goes back two weeks before the kids. This summer has gone by so quickly it’s hard to believe we are already in the back-to-school season. Stores have school supplies at the doors, the back-to-school sale notices are on TV, social media, and the newspaper. Before the kids in your life head off to school, please consider their health care as part of your back-to-school plans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these 9 back-to-school tips for having a safe and healthy school year. First, make sure you kids know how and when to wash their hands. Hand washing is the best way to prevent most common illnesses. The CDC recommends these 5 steps for kids when they handwash: wet, lather, scrub, rinse, and dry. The scrub process should last about 20 seconds. That is about the time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice. With small kids it takes time and frequent reminders to build hand washing skills, so make sure you remind kids to wash before eating, after using the bathroom, after playing outside, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose. The good thing is if we teach kids to wash their hands when they are small, it is a healthy habit that will benefit them their entire life.
Tip two is to eat well and be active. A healthy weight is especially important for kids, as with handwashing, the habits we set for our kids with diet and exercise can follow them long into their lives. Currently 1 in 5 US children is considered not just overweight, but obese. That extra weight puts kids at risk for asthma, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. All of which have serious long-term complications. Kids consume nearly half of their daily calories at school, so it’s a great time to teach healthy eating habits.
Tip three is to limit sugary drinks. That goes hand in hand with healthy eating.
Tip four is don’t use e-cigarettes also known as vapes or vape pens. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 high school students, and 1 in 20 middle school students (this is 6-8th grades) regularly use e-cigarettes. I know anecdotally by living with a 9th grade teacher, it is something they regularly battle in schools. Vapes are not safe. Nicotine is known to harm developing brains, and we still are learning about the harm to the respiratory system caused by using e-cigarettes. The best prevention for substance abuse of any kind is to talk to your kids about it. The American Academy of Pediatrics has lots of resources for talking to your kids about drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products including e-cigarettes on their website at www.healthychildren.org
Tip five is to stay cool. We return to school and sports in one of the hottest months of the year, so its important for kids and parents to remember to limit outdoor activities in the hottest parts of the day, to stay will hydrated, to use sunscreen, and to wear loose, lightweight, and light-colored clothing whenever they are outside to help them stay cool.
Tip six is to stay safe by using helmets appropriately and paying attention to possible concussions by seeking medical attention if a child does suffer a head injury.
Tip seven is to plan for emergencies by making sure that the school knows of medications your child takes, any assistive devices the need, and how to reach you and at least one back-up person in an emergency.
Tip eight is to connect with your kids. Talk to them, involve yourself in their lives. There are multiple studies that show kids who feel like they belong, are cared for, and are supported by their parents or another adult in their lives are less likely to have adverse health outcomes as teens such as sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, and experiencing physical violence.
Tip nine is to get vaccinated. Vaccines are the most effective tools to preventing serious viral illness, including viruses that can lead to cancers later in life.
School is not just a time to prepare your kids academically and socially for life as an adult, it’s a great time to set health habits that will give them a long life as an adult. Please consider these health tips as you prepare to send your kids back-to-school.
