Children’s Health Check

How often do you timetable an appointment for your child to see the dentist, the doctor, or go for a shoe fitting? And now, ask yourself how often do you assess other areas of your child’s health? Vital health MOT’s and regular observations are essential to prevent avoidable conditions that may affect children. So, we’ve taken a brief look at four equally important, and sometimes overlooked, areas here:  

Eyes: Amazingly, current statistics show that only 38% of children have their eyes regularly examined, compared to 92% of children who visit the dentist. Yet good vision before the age of 12 is crucial, as visual learning accounts for 80% of the learning process.  A child's sight is fully formed by about the age of eight, so it's important that problems are detected before then, to avoid a lifelong visual handicap. It is recommended that children should have an eye examination each year and certainly before the age of eight.  Fear of cost seems to be the major barrier preventing parents bringing their children for an eye-test. While vision screening is carried out in most schools, this should not replace a comprehensive eye examination with an optician.  In most cases young children can be seen through the Health board and are tested for free by Ophthalmologists and a voucher, where necessary, is issued towards the cost of the glasses. Contact your community nurse for more details on how to access eyecare for your child.

Ears: In Ireland, around 100 babies are born each year with a permanent hearing problem in both ears. If not identified early, hearing problems can seriously hinder cognitive and communication development and have a long-term impact on educational achievement, confidence and social skills, highlighting the importance of early identification. Today, thanks to newborn hearing screening, babies born with a permanent hearing loss can be identified within the first few days and weeks of life but a child may develop a hearing loss at any age. Symptoms of hearing loss in children can be hard to spot yet there are common signs to look out for. A child may listen to music or the TV at a high volume; may not react when called; may mispronounce words; may appear to daydream; may talk loudly and may seem unsettled at school. If you identify any of these symptoms, talk to your GP. The most common ear condition to affect children is Glue Ear. Affecting around one in five children at any time, Glue Ear happens when fluid collects in the middle ear space of one or both ears often following ear infections or repeated colds. As a result, the eardrum and tiny bones in the middle ear cannot move properly and sound cannot easily pass through to the inner ear. Although Glue Ear is a temporary condition, the associated hearing loss can cause behavioural and communication problems. For more Information info@irishdeafkids.ie

Diet: Ok, so the challenge to tease children away from pizza and chips may seem comparable to Brian Lenihan’s battle with balancing the country’s finances, but thankfully there is a remedy to a lifetime consumption of fast food.  It involves patience, perseverance and an increased exposure to different flavours and types of food. Taste buds continually change so, for example, what a child enjoys at age 4 may alter as they grow older.

Aveen Bannon, Consultant Dietician to Kelkin says, ‘healthy eating in children can indeed be challenging but there are ways to make it a little easier. One good idea can be to nominate a kids night where the child chooses what to have for dinner, prepares it and cleans up afterwards. This can make food fun and also help kids understand different foods and shopping. Another good idea can be to start a family colour rainbow chart, this is to encourage everybody in the family to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. The idea is to try and eat as many different colourful fruits and vegetables as possible each day and help everybody meet their recommended five a day. Encouraging healthy eating for the whole family is always a good idea and children definitely learn by example. Even if your child refuses to eat certain foods keep offering them, we need to be exposed to a food eight times before we know if we like it”

Exercise: In general, we are less willing to let our children go out to play or walk to school because of perceived ‘stranger danger’ or the potential hazard of traffic, but the result is a less active generation. And this lack of activity makes the Department of Health’s recommended 1 hour of daily exercise for children less likely to be met.  But any amount of exercise is better than none at all and it can be introduced in small steps, with the chance to build on it later. Exercise should be at a level where the heart rate is increased in a sustained way to fully reap the benefits and making it fun will prolong enthusiasm. You may wish to do this by mixing formal and informal activities to bust any chance of boredom creeping in.  A fun family game of rounders in the park could be followed by formal swimming or tennis sessions the next day; followed by a family trip out on the bikes. Be inventive and make it exciting!  And there’s good news for children who want to lose weight. As soon as they start exercising they begin to burn off fat - unlike adults who need to exercise for a longer period of time before their fat stores start to deplete! So, exercise really is a fantastic way for overweight children to slim down safely and healthily.

For further information:

Eyes:

National Optometry Centre Kevin st D8 www.optometrists.ie 

Association of Optometrists Ireland: (01) 453 8850 or www.specsavers.ie

Ears: Irish Deaf Kids www.irishdeafkids.ie

Diet and Exercise: The Irish Heart Foundation (Heart health for kids www.irishheart.ie  www.littlesteps.eu

Child Obesity Programme: www.safefood.eu