As a parent, you are your child’s primary health advocate. You take care to not only ensure your child receives routine well child check-ups and immunizations, but also to help your child build the habits and attitudes that will allow him or her to grow into a healthy and confident adult. Given the myriad demands of back-to-school season, Miles J. Varn, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of PinnacleCare, recommends focusing on the most essential do-it-now moves for your children’s health.

NEW VACCINE ALERTS

As the science of immunization advances, it can be difficult to keep up–to–date on the latest recommended additions. There are currently several new vaccines that protect your child from a range of serious diseases.

Rotavirus: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend infants receive a vaccine against this viral infection which causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and dehydration in young children. The oral vaccine, which is manufactured under the brand name RotaTeq™, should be received at the ages of 2, 4, and 6 months of age.
Cervical cancer vaccine: The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently recommended routine vaccination for girls 11 and older against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause of cervical cancer. The vaccine, Gardasil, protects against two strains of virus which are most often the cause of cervical cancer, HPV-16 and HPV-18, and the two strains responsible for 90% of genital warts, HPV-6 and HPV-11.
Chicken pox: The committee has changed its recommendations on the chicken pox vaccine. The first dose should be received between 12 and 15 months old. A second dose is now recommended at the age of 4 to 6 years old because 15% to 20% of those who received only a single dose were not fully protected against the disease.

WEIGHTY MATTERS

It’s no secret childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Experts at Children’s Hospital Boston found childhood obesity increased 100% between 1980 and the mid–90s. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2002, 16% of children between 6 and 19 were overweight.

Notes Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children's Hospital Boston, “Genes are not the problem for the vast majority of people. Instead, two-thirds of obesity would vanish if society could revert back to the way it did certain things 40 years ago. Parents can think back to their childhood to what they ate and what they did for activities. In many cases, it is vastly different than what many families eat and do today.”

There are many strategies for making healthy lifestyle choices an integral part of every child’s life. One exciting option being piloted in South Carolina schools is Zest Quest®, a program developed by Jim Anthony, founder of The Cliffs Communities. Endowed by The Cliffs Communities through Pinnacle Partners, a 501(c)(3) organization, and launched in February 2004, Zest Quest® is a collaborative mentorship program involving school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, community mentors and, families and children. The goal is to inspire children to live physically, emotionally, and intellectually healthier lives.

Zest Quest® is centered on seven healthy habits you can easily put into practice in your own home:

Achieve 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
Eat a healthy breakfast.
Sleep at least 9 hours.
Limit sugary drink intake.
Limit TV viewing and video game playing.
Eat 3 or more vegetables.
Eat 2 or more fruits.

“What this program promotes is a straightforward, common sense plan that all members of a family can use to improve their well being and attain a healthy weight and activity level,” believes Dr. Varn.

THE SERIOUSNESS OF SLEEP

According to Dr. Ronald Dahl, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, between 10 and 30% of children and teens do not get enough sleep. From age 4 to 12, children need 10 to 11 hours of sleep per night. Teens require 8 ½ to 9 ½ hours of sleep a night, though most sleep less than 7 hours a night according to a number of studies.

Lack of sleep causes a variety of problems for children. Some research indicates a percentage of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder are in fact unable to remain focused because they are drowsy. A study of the effects of inadequate sleep on elementary and middle–schooled aged children led by Gahan Fallone, PhD, Associate Professor at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri found those who got eight hours of sleep or less per night had more difficulty recalling material they had already learned as well as learning new information or completing high quality school work. Another study reported students who got Cs, Ds, or Fs got only 25 minutes less sleep per night on average than those who got As and Bs.

Weight and safety were also negatively impacted by lack of sleep. Researchers at Canada’s Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine in Quebec discovered that 5 to 10–year–olds who got less than 10 hours of sleep each night faced a 3.5 times higher risk of being overweight than those who slept 12 or more hours per night. Another study mounted by Italian researchers uncovered an 86% increase in injury risk in children 14 and under who slept less than 10 hours a night.

“Parents should put into practice routines to ensure their children are getting the sleep they need,” notes Dr. Varn. He recommends setting and enforcing appropriate bedtimes, creating a comfortable sleep environment, limiting sleeping late on weekends, removing TVs, computers, and video games from your child’s bedroom, and cutting back or eliminating caffeinated drinks.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALLIES

PinnacleCare Members can rely on their personal Advocate to assist in the development of a strategy to help their children lead healthier lives. Advocates provide objective information on the complete spectrum of growth and development issues as well as fast access to expert medical care.

One Member’s child was recently injured in a late afternoon playground accident and received lacerations to his nose and lips. Immediately after receiving the anxious mother’s call, her Advocate swiftly identified two oral and maxillofacial surgeons who were ready and wiling to treat her son quickly, and alerted the child’s pediatrician to ensure follow-up. “Thinking several steps ahead is simply how our Advocates operate,” adds John Hutchins, PinnacleCare’s Managing Director. “Their proactive nature and cool heads in heated situations provide a special comfort during the parenting years.”