How Not to Get Sick, Childhood 0-12

A User's Guide To Good Health At Every Age

The road to wellness begins in childhood and twists and turns over time. We asked five experts in prevention to give their best advice for staying healthy throughout life Childhood 0-12, Adolescence 13-18,Young Adulthood 19-35, Middle Adulthood 36-59, Seniors 60+







Childhood 0-12

At the Doctor's Office


Get all of the recommended vaccinations. "All of them," says Dr. Joseph Hagan, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. For children 12 or younger, these include hepatitis A and B, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), varicella and polio. For girls ages 11 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the human papillomavirus vaccine. (The CDC website has a comprehensive schedule of vaccinations.) Pediatricians advise tracking children's body mass index, or BMI, the main indicator of healthy body weight; screening for anemia and autism before age 2; and checking for high cholesterol before age 10. New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest considering cholesterol-lowering drugs for kids at high risk of heart disease as young as age 8.


Diet and Nutrition


Healthy eating habits can't begin early enough. For kids, the American Heart Association recommends a diet high in whole grains, vegetables and fruits — but with limited juice — and low in saturated fat, trans fat, salt and added sugars. Infants need extra fat and calories for development, but as they grow, they should begin to eat a leaner diet. "Until age 2, kids should be taking whole milk," says Hagan, "but beginning at age 2, they should be on a lower-fat milk. We want them to develop a taste for low fat."


Physical Fitness


For children ages 6 and older and adolescents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends at least one hour of physical activity every day, including vigorous exercise at least three times per week. Kids should get a mix of aerobic (hiking, for example), muscle-building (rope-climbing) and bone-strengthening (running) activity. Hagan puts it simply: "Ideally I want you to be sweaty for an hour every day." That means limiting TV time to less than two hours per day and encouraging children to be active — how is up to them. Bike-riding, jumping rope, soccer, playing outside after school? "That's all really good exercise," Hagan says.


Behavior and Mood


Doctors welcome lots of questions from parents and children, especially if they're concerned about symptoms of anxiety or depression, or behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity and autism, says Hagan. He encourages parents to have intimate talks at home early on, laying the foundation for more-complex discussions with their kids — about puberty and safe sex, say — as they develop. At what age "depends on the child," says Hagan, who usually broaches the subject of children's "private areas" at age 6. "Inevitably parents have had 'the talk' usually four to six months too late," he says.

sourec: Time.com