Back to Lay Health Promoter Page
Goals/Objectives
Instructional Procedure
Focusing Event/Ice Breaker
See suggestions in Ice Breaker page
Teaching Procedure
Assess the level of awareness concerning topic.
What do participants know about the nutritional needs of children, common childhood illnesses, immunizations and overall health of children?
Facilitate discussion and participation.
Encourage sharing of opinions/experiences or questions/concerns.
Nutrition - Childhood and Adolescent
Eating habits established in the first two or three years of life tend to have lasting effects on subsequent years.
At approximately eighteen months of age, most toddlers become picky eaters with strong taste preferences.
Kids may eat enormous amounts of food one day and almost nothing the next.
During the early years, the method parents use of serving food is very important. For example, it is helpful to keep portion sizes small and allow the child to use their favorite eating utensils.
Provide substitutions for foods that kids do not enjoy but limit this practice in order to avoid giving in to all kids eating requests.
Do not become alarmed if your child refuses to eat all but one food item for several days in a row. This is a common occurrence in children and eventually the child will begin eating a variety of foods. During these times it is best to accept the extremes but continue to offer other foods in small portions.
Forcing children to eat certain foods usually results in conflict and does little to establish healthy eating habits.
Candy, sweets, sweetened cereals, soft drinks, sugary fruit juice, and other such foods are unhealthy in quantities greater than one - two servings/day. These foods promote the development of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes early in life.
Start children early in life with regular servings of fresh fruit in place of sweet snacks. Apples, bananas, and other fruits in season are less expensive than candy.
Immunization
Immunizations are very important in the prevention of common childhood communicable diseases, some of which can be fatal.
The recommended age of beginning primary immunizations in children is at birth. The most common under-immunized age group is children 6 - 24 months of age. These ages are very vulnerable to illness.
It is important to stay current and follow schedules for immunizations provided at local health clinics (sample chart included).
Schedules may vary therefore it is important to obtain current information periodically.
Common Childhood Illnesses
Fever
Call health care provider immediately if:
Call health care provider during office hours if:
Nausea & Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are common in childhood and are usually self-limiting and require no specific treatment.
Complications can occur in children, including dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, malnutrition and aspiration (breathing of vomit).
There are many causes of nausea and vomiting, including acute infection, increased intracranial pressure (pressure around the brain), consumption of toxins or poison, food intolerance and allergy, and obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines).
the childís age, pattern of vomiting and duration of symptoms should be noted and reported to a health care worker for proper diagnosis.
associated symptoms also help to identify the reason for the nausea and vomiting, they include:
Progressive or severe vomiting or vomiting that occurs for longer than 24 hours should be referred to a doctor and treatment of dehydration should occur.
A vomiting infant or child should always be placed on their side to prevent aspiration and should be observed for dehydration.
Signs of dehydration in an infant or child include:
Medical treatment should be sought for dehydration.
Common Cold
Colds are the most common of all the infectious diseases in the school setting and are spread by finger to nose/mouth contact.
A cold alone is not considered serious but left untreated can develop into more serious complications.
There are more than 100 different viruses that can cause the common cold.
Symptoms usually develop within 24 hours after exposure and can last 7 to 14 days.
Symptoms can include teary eyes, difficulty breathing and a runny nose.
There is no cure for the common cold and thus antibiotics are of no benefit unless a secondary infection such as sinusitis.
When a cold is accompanied by a fever this indicates another infection is present and additional treatment is required
Bed rest, plenty of fluids and good nutrition is the best medicine for the common cold
Otitis Media (Ear infection)
Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood infection of the middle ear
OM usually occurs with an upper respiratory infection and is common in the winter months
Symptoms include sensation of fullness in ear, pain in ear, temporary decrease in ability to hear, fever, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, clicking or popping sound in ear with jaw movement, and sometimes drainage from ear. It is common for children or infants with OM to pull on the affected ear.
Prompt antibiotic treatment is successful in most cases.
Strep Throat
Strep throat is common in the school setting. It is caused by the streptococcus bacteria (not virus).
The infection is passed primarily through sneezing, coughing or the use of infected objects such as sharing eating utensils
Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, nausea and vomiting.
In some cases individuals may develop a rash on the neck and chest area.
Treatment is through the use of antibiotics after a "strep test."
Children should be kept home from school until the fever and sore throat are gone for 24 to 48 hours
Influenza (flu)
Influenza is caused by common virus, usually "Type A"
Influenza infection is passed primarily through coughing and sneezing.
Influenza is most common in the winter months when people are in close proximity to one another.
Symptoms include aches, chest pain, headache, sudden onset of chills and fever, runny nose, sore throat, and possible loss of appetite
Treatment includes bed rest, over the counter pain relievers for pain and fever (never give aspirin to children), drink plenty of fluids, and any medications if prescribed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
RingWorm (Dermatophytosis)
Ringworm is a skin infection caused by several different types of fungi - not by a worm.
Children are most commonly affected but ringworm is easily spread to persons of any age.
The fungus causes scaly, round, itchy patches to develop on various parts of the body, including the scalp, groin, nails, and feet.
Symptoms include bald patches and scales on the scalp, round, red patches that grow to about one inch across on the skin (which heal from the inside out leaving a red ring where the infection remains), dry scaling and fissuring of the skin between the toes and on the arch of the foot (Athleteís foot), and red, swollen and painful finger nails and toe nails.
It is important to keep feet and skin on the body dry and cool.
Do not share towels and shoes.
Prompt treatment with a topical antifungal agent usually clears up most infection within a few weeks.
Chicken Pox
Chicken pox is a commonly experienced childhood virus.
Symptoms include, fever, rash or blisters, fatigue and loss of appetite with in the first 24 hours. Chicken pox is characterized by red blisters that scab over within 6 days.
The infection is passed through direct contact with the open blisters, the coughs and sneezes of an infected individual, and through contaminated objects.
Treatment of chicken pox includes measures to decrease itching and skin discomfort (warm baths with baking soda, thin application of an over the counter anti-itch lotion) and acetaminophen to treat effects of fever. Aspirin should not be given to children under the age of twelve.
Thoughts on How to Raise a Healthy Child
Children should have as much time as possible to enjoy physical play and interacting with one another. Television viewing should limited to less than 1 hour per day. Instead of watching television engage children in such activities as:
Reading short stories and then sharing the story with the family at dinner
Taking walks to the park and collecting leaves and flowers and looking them up in an encyclopedia
Learning to cook and helping prepare dinner
Choosing a weekly topic and checking out books at the library on the topic (Example: Texas Wildflowers ñ go out and find a few or draw pictures of them for a relative or neighbor)
Children need and desire daily routines including eight to ten hours of sleep each night.
Exercise is important for overall fitness, strength, endurance, resistance to injury, and mental health.
Encourage healthy eating habits by providing nutritious meals and snacks.
Encourage good dental health and habits.
It is essential that personal health habits be learned at an early age.
Children learn what they see; be a good role model for your children.
CRITICAL POINTS
Eating habits established in the first two or three years of life tend to have lasting effects into adulthood. It is very important to provide lessons in good nutrition so children will continue to make appropriate choices for themselves.
Immunizations are very important in the prevention of common childhood communicable diseases some of which can be fatal. It is imperative that parents pay close attention to immunization schedules and keep adequate records.
Knowing symptoms of the most common childhood illnesses, parents are better equipped to respond promptly to their childrenís healthcare needs.
Exercise is important for overall fitness, as well as physical and mental health. Regular exercise and good nutrition may decrease a childís risk of developing some common childhood infections.
FORMATIVE CHECK/PARTICIPATION
Health Bingo Game
Each person is randomly assigned a number (1-24) to the small corner boxes of their bingo cards
The facilitator begins game by drawing the first number and reading a question (facilitator must prepare 24 questions for the game)
Players locate square and write the correct answer if they know it
This process is repeated until someone calls bingo (to achieve bingo player must get 5 correct answers in a row or diagonal)
The facilitator must check the card to ensure there are five correct answers
If one or more in incorrect, play resumes, otherwise the person is declared the winner
Repeat the game until all questions are encountered and answered correctly
CLOSURE
Closure should include a short question session followed by a brief uplifting statement or quote.