It is important that families and communities support children’s health. A healthy childhood paves the way for a healthy adulthood. Children’s health refers to more than just physical well-being. In fact, children’s health can be divided into six categories:
A foetus’s brain starts developing as early as three weeks after conception and continues to develop long after birth. In fact, the brain does not stop maturing until one is in their mid to late twenties. However, most of the brain’s growth and development occurs in early childhood (before the age of five).
Brain development refers to the creation of synapses, or connections, between neurons. These connections enable a person to move, think, learn, communicate, and more. Children’s brains form new connections every day based on their interactions with the world.
Healthy brain development relies on adequate nutrition and nurturing relationships. Factors such as malnutrition, poverty, neglect, and abuse can negatively impact a child’s brain development.
Two methods for protecting a child’s physical health are to support immunizations and establish healthy habits. Healthy habits include eating a nutritious diet, staying active, and washing one’s hands.
Both immunizations and healthy habits can protect a child against various infections and diseases. Unfortunately, they cannot prevent all illnesses. Illnesses that do occur, such as bacterial and viral infections, must be managed appropriately.
Physical health is not the only aspect of children’s health. One must also consider the social, emotional, and mental well-being of children.
A child’s social health refers to their ability to connect and form relationships with others. Their emotional health refers to their ability to handle their emotions. Finally, a child’s mental health refers to their psychological well-being.
One must assist children as they learn to navigate their relationships, emotions, and thoughts. This is especially true for children with sensory processing disorders.
Oral health refers to the health of the gums, teeth, mouth, and other orofacial structures. One must support a child’s oral health early on, even before their first teeth appear.
Oral health impacts a child’s speech development, ability to chew and eat, and overall health. For example, tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health problems can impede a child’s ability to chew and eat, leading to malnutrition. Oral health problems can also progress into serious, systemic diseases, such as heart disease and osteoporosis.
Children’s health requires appropriate amounts of physical activity. An active lifestyle is an important habit to instil in children at a young age, since it provides numerous benefits.
Physical activity helps mitigate the risks for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. It promotes the growth of healthy hearts, lungs, muscles, and bones.
An active lifestyle provides not only physical benefits but also emotional and mental benefits as well. Physical activity can alleviate children’s stress, anxiety, and boredom.
Children should grow up in a safe, nurturing environment free from injury, neglect, and abuse. Injury, neglect, and abuse negatively affect multiple aspects of children’s health, such as brain development and mental and physical well-being.
Most childhood injuries are preventable. Preventative measures include seat belts, bicycle helmets, childproof caps on medication, and more. Another measure for preventing childhood injuries is educating parents on ways to keep their children safe.
If one suspects something is wrong with the health of a child, it is vital that the child be taken to a healthcare professional. A healthcare professional will be able to fully assess symptoms and signs, reach a diagnosis, and recommend treatment. They will also be able to determine if the child is reaching all of his/her developmental milestones.
Developmental milestones are skills that a child learns as they grow. Learning to walk, playing with others, and forming words are all examples of developmental milestones. These milestones, and the age at which they develop, form critical benchmarks to assess children’s health against. If a developmental milestone is not reached by a certain age, it may suggest a problem with a child’s health.