Child Health
National Poll: Some parents may not be making the most of well child visits
While many parents regularly take children to checkups, some may consider more proactive steps to make them as productive as possible.
How parents prepare for children’s checkups
« National Poll: Some parents may not be making the most of well child visits
Newswise — While most parents and caregivers stay on top of scheduling regular checkups for their kids, they may not always be making the most of them, a national poll suggests.
Most parents report their child has had a well visit in the past two years and two thirds say they always see the same provider, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at University of Michigan Health. However, fewer parents took all recommended steps to prepare themselves and their kids ahead of time.
“Regular well visits mean guaranteed face time with your child’s doctor and an opportunity to not only discuss specific concerns and questions about your child’s health but get their advice on general health topics like nutrition, sleep and behavior,” said Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark, M.P.H. “We were pleased to see that the majority of parents regularly make these appointments and maintain relationships with a trusted provider. But they may not always be taking a proactive approach to ensuring they address all relevant health concerns impacting their child’s physical, emotional and behavioral health at every visit.”
In advance of well visits, a fourth of parents say they often prepare a list of questions to ask the provider, while a little over half said they sometimes wrote things down and about a fifth said they never do.
Meanwhile, about a fifth of parents say they often write down information about their child’s health changes while half say they sometimes take this step and three in 10 don’t do this at all.
“Well visits are busy, and in the moment, it’s easy for parents to forget to bring up questions or concerns with a doctor,” Clark said. “Writing them down ahead of time will help prioritize topics and help you get the most out of the appointment.”
Less than 15% of parents say they often research information online to discuss with the provider, while about half sometimes do and 38% never do.
“We are constantly learning new information that may impact children’s health and some recommendations may evolve or be updated,” Clark said. “Many pediatricians and care providers will bring these topics up themselves but not always. It’s always helpful for parents to do some homework ahead of time to make sure they’re aware of any timely topics affecting their child’s age group.”
Preparing children for the visit
Two in five parents say they often take steps to prepare their child for an upcoming well visit by addressing any fears they may have while slightly more than that sometimes do this while a little less than one in five never do this. A fourth of parents often also offer rewards for cooperating while less than half sometimes use such incentives.
For parents of children aged 6-12, a little more than one in five also regularly ask the child to think about questions for the provider.
“As kids approach puberty, their bodies begin changing. A well visit is a great opportunity to have the provider explain why these changes happen,” Clark said. “Having kids think about health topics themselves is also good practice for when they get older and parents become less involved with health visits. Preparing for this transition early will benefit them when they need to take more ownership of their health.”
Most parents also recall completing questionnaires and checklists about their child at well visits. Among these parents, the majority say they understand the purpose but just about three fourths say they receive feedback about how their child is doing.
“Children and their families are more often getting questionnaires at visits to help identify issues like sleep problems, challenges impacting emotional health and behavioral health concerns,” Clark said. “But when time is short, this may not come up during the actual visit. It’s important parents have conversations with providers about any issues that may surface from the child’s or family’s responses.”
Seeing providers familiar with your child’s history
Nearly half of parents say they schedule well visits with their child’s regular provider even if they have a long wait for an appointment. A third of parents also strongly agree their child is more likely to follow advice if it comes from a provider their child knows well.
For their child’s most recent well visit, more than half of parents also rate the provider as excellent for knowing the child’s health history, answering all their questions and giving recommendations that are realistic for the family.
A primary care physician familiar with a child and their specific health history will help them stay healthy, prevent disease and illness by identifying risk factors and taking the right steps to manage chronic disease care, Clark says.
“We know that continuity with the same provider has long term health benefits for children. Parents polled whose child always sees the same provider for well visits are also more likely to rate the provider as excellent,” Clark said. “Nurturing a relationship with a primary care provider means that the health professional who knows your child best is the one providing individualized care and helping your family navigate important decisions impacting their health.”
However, when well visits are scheduled with a different provider, either by choice or necessity, “parents may benefit from different explanations or perspectives on their child’s health,” Clark added.
The nationally representative report is based on responses from 1,331 parents with children aged 1 to 12 years who were polled in August-September 2022.
Five ways to ensure the most productive well child visit, according to Mott experts:
- Build a long-lasting trusted relationship with the same primary care provider who your child always sees for appointments, which may include a pediatrician, other family physician or nurse practitioner.
- Write down questions regarding your child’s physical, emotional and behavioral health in the same place as they come up to review again when a child is due for a well visit.
- Share input from teachers or daycare providers about the child’s behavior or school performance and ask the primary care provider for the need for further assessment or therapy.
- Prepare children for the visit. If there’s a physical exam, talk them through what to expect. For young children who need immunizations or blood draws, prepare them with books ahead of time, consider comfort positions and distractions like cartoons on screens during shots or give them something fun to look forward to after the visit like ice cream. Never promise them they won’t get a shot. More tips here.
- For older children, help them come up with a list of questions to ask the doctor themselves.
Source: Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan
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(Family Features) For moms who breastfeed, the idea of introducing a bottle can feel like a big change. Whether supplementing for personal reasons, returning to work or ensuring adequate nourishment, the transition between breast and bottle can be eased with the right approach – and the right tools. Here’s how to make this process smooth and stress-free for both you and your baby.
Begin Gradually and Mindfully
When supplementing with a bottle, it’s important to start slowly, ideally once breastfeeding is well-established, usually after the first few weeks. Begin by replacing one breastfeeding session with a bottle feeding and gradually increase as needed. This gradual transition helps your baby adapt to the new experience without feeling overwhelmed or confused. If you have questions or concerns about introducing bottle feeding, your pediatrician is an excellent resource.
Prioritize the Right Bottle Design
Using a bottle that closely mirrors the breastfeeding experience can make all the difference in a smooth transition. For example, NUK’s Perfect Match Bottle, from the No. 1 hospital-trusted brand (based on industry data) for feeding, is specifically designed to bridge the gap between breast and bottle feeding. Its ultra-soft silicone nipple is shaped to mimic the feel of a mother’s breast, adapting to your baby’s unique palate for a familiar, comforting feeding experience. This breast-like comfort can make the transition seamless and intuitive for babies. Additionally, it features an advanced anti-colic venting system that minimizes air intake, reducing digestive discomfort and keeping your baby comfortable for a calm, enjoyable feeding time – without the hassle of extra parts to clean.
Maintain Familiar Feeding Conditions
Convincing a breastfed baby to take a bottle can take a bit of patience. Ease the transition by creating an environment similar to breastfeeding conditions to provide a comforting and familiar experience for your baby. Hold your baby close, make eye contact and create a quiet environment to establish a sense of security. Also, plan for bottle feedings when you know your baby is ready to eat, but not overly hungry or fussy.
Use a Safe and Convenient Feeding System
One common concern when supplementing is ensuring milk is served at a safe temperature. With a built-in SafeTemp indicator that changes color if the milk is too hot, the NUK Perfect Match bottle gives parents peace of mind. This feature can simplify the feeding process, making it more intuitive for busy caregivers.
Enlist Help with Bottle Feeding
Sometimes, a baby may be more likely to accept a bottle when offered by someone other than the breastfeeding parent. A partner or caregiver can introduce bottle feeding, helping your baby adapt without associating it directly with breastfeeding. Once established, you can alternate who offers the bottle.
Stay Flexible and Patient
Every baby’s journey is unique, and patience is key. If challenges arise during supplementation, such as bottle refusal or digestive changes, seek guidance from your pediatrician or a lactation consultant. They can help tailor the approach to your baby’s needs.
Discover the future of feeding and learn more at nuk-usa.com.
SOURCE:
NUK
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
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Lifestyle
Sex on TV: Less impact on teens than you might think
Research shows that, despite fears, exposure to sexual media does not meaningfully correlate with teens and sexual behavior. Instead, parental guidance remains crucial in shaping teens’ understanding of sexuality.
Christopher J. Ferguson, Stetson University
Few people would doubt that sex is ubiquitous in media – whether movies, television, music or books – and that teens today have unprecedented access to all of it. It’s often taken for granted that this easy access to “sexy media” has an influence on teenage sexuality.
Specifically, the worry is that teens may have sex earlier or engage in higher-risk sexual activities such as having multiple partners or exposing themselves to potential pregnancies or STDs. In 2010 the American Academy of Pediatrics even published a position paper claiming that sexually explicit media could promote risky teen sexual behavior.
But government data find that teens are actually waiting longer than in the past to have sex. And teen pregnancy rates are at historic lows. How is it possible that sexy media has such a pernicious effect even as teen sexuality is becoming healthier?
I’ve spent more than a decade researching how media – like video games or advertising – influences youth behavior. What fascinates me is how society interacts with media, often embracing salacious content while simultaneously blaming it for societal problems, whether real or imagined.
So my colleagues and I decided to look at the research on sexy media and teenage sexual behavior to see how the strong the link between the two is.
Sexy media doesn’t predict sexual behavior
Despite the common assumptions about sex in the media and its alleged effects on teens, the evidence behind the link is weak. Some studies find evidence for a small effect (perhaps in some circumstances but not others), while others find no evidence for any effect.
One reason the evidence may not be conclusive is that there are practical and ethical limitations to conducting research. We can’t run experiments where teens watch different TV shows and we wait around to see who has sex. This means research often relies on self-reported data. What we do is ask teens to report on their sexual behavior and their media preferences, as well as other variables we might like to control for (such as personality or family environment) and see if correlations exist.
With this in mind, my colleagues Patrick Markey at Villanova and Danish researcher Rune Nielsen and I conducted a meta-analysis of 22 studies with over 22,000 participants that examine the correlation between sexy media and teenage sexual behavior. A meta-analysis lets us look for commonalities in the results, and is something that had not been done previously with this pool of research.
All of the studies in the meta-analysis looked at depictions of sexual situations, nudity, partial nudity or explicit discussions of sex in television shows or movies easily accessible to minors (and thus excluded pornography).
In particular, we were curious to see whether sexy media predicted teen sexual behavior once other variables had been controlled. For instance, maybe boys tend to watch sexier media and also are more sexually risk-taking. Or perhaps youth who are more liberal in terms of personality are more open both to sexy media and earlier sexual initiation. Perhaps a difficult family background is the underlying key to understanding any correlation between media use habits and actual sexual behavior.
Ultimately, this is what we found. Once other factors such as family environment, personality or even gender were controlled, sexy media exposure did not meaningfully correlate with teen sexual behavior.
Contrary to common fears, sexy media doesn’t seem to have any practical significance for when teens first have sex or start other sexual behaviors. This lack of correlation is a warning sign we might be on the wrong track in trying to blame media for teen sexual risk-taking.
Why doesn’t media influence teens?
There are numerous theories that discuss how individuals and media interact. However, many older media effects theories didn’t consider why people were drawn to media, how they processed it, or what they hoped to get from it. Such theories assumed viewers simply irrationally and purposelessly imitated what they saw. Most of the papers we examined in our meta-analysis were tests of these basic, automatic, media effects theories.
In the past few years, some scholars (myself included) have specifically called for the retirement of these older media effects theories. This is because the evidence increasingly suggests that fictional media such as feature movies or sitcoms media is too remote to have a clear impact on consumers’ behavior, especially compared to families and peers.
In addition, emerging evidence suggests that young children process fictional media differently from real events. If small children are able to process a difference between fictional events and real events, we can assume that teens don’t really expect media to reflect reality.
Our results regarding the limited impact of media also fit with the observations from societal data. Despite a plethora of sexual media available to teens, a crisis of risky teen sexual behavior has not emerged.
We watch what we’re interested in watching
Newer models of media use suggest that it is the individuals who consume media, not the media itself, who are the driving agents of behavior. Evidence suggests that users seek out and interpret media according to what they want to get from it, rather than passively imitating it.
People don’t generally accidentally watch media, sexual or otherwise, but are motivated to do so because of preexisting desires.
For instance, some recent studies have indicated that youth seek out media that fit with preexisting motives, called a selection effect, but that media don’t necessarily lead to further problem behaviors. For example, research suggests that some teens who are already aggressive might be interested in violent video games, but playing such games doesn’t make kids more aggressive.
That’s a point that sometimes seems ignored when we talk about teens and sex. Interest in sex is a largely biologically motivated process; fictional media really isn’t required. Teens will become interested in sex all on their own.
Parents have more influence than the media
Parents can rest a bit easier since the evidence suggests that media isn’t a primary driver of teen sexuality.
To the extent media has any impact at all, it is likely only in a vacuum left by adults reluctant to talk to kids about sex, especially the stuff kids really want to know.
How do you ask someone out on a date and how do you handle it if they say no? What does sex feel like? When is it OK to have sex? What are the risks and how do you avoid them? In the face of patient, empathic and informative discussions about sex by adults kids trust, the media likely has little influence.
Ultimately, whether media have salacious or more conscientious portrayals of sexuality, we should not expect media to replace conversations with youth by parents, guardians and educators.
I’m not suggesting everyone run out and buy “50 Shades of Grey” for their teen, but if teens happen to come across it (and they will), it’s not the end of the world.
The important thing for parents is to talk to their kids.
Christopher J. Ferguson, Associate Professor of Psychology, Stetson University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
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(Family Features) The holidays often bring colder weather and more indoor gatherings. Respiratory viruses like flu, COVID-19 and RSV are common this time of year.
Illness from these viruses can be dangerous for pregnant people and newborns. Staying up to date on vaccines for flu, COVID-19 and RSV during pregnancy can offer protection, and now is the time to get vaccinated if you haven’t already.
“During the holidays, pregnant people can help protect their health and the health of their baby by getting updated vaccines,” said Dr. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “During the holidays, you’re more likely to be exposed to flu, COVID-19 and RSV. Vaccination not only helps build up your immune system but can give protection for your little one.”
Here are some tips from the HHS Risk Less. Do More. public education campaign for a safe and festive holiday season:
Get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19. Getting sick with flu or COVID-19 can be dangerous for people who are pregnant and young infants. During pregnancy, there is a greater risk of flu or COVID-19 infections becoming severe and leading to hospitalization. Babies are also at risk of severe flu and COVID-19, but they cannot get vaccines until they are 6 months old. By getting vaccinated during pregnancy, you pass on antibodies that help protect your baby during the first few months of life.
Get vaccinated against RSV if you’re eligible. RSV is a common cause of severe respiratory illness in infants. In fact, it is the top reason babies in the United States are hospitalized each year. You can get an RSV vaccine if you are 32-36 weeks pregnant between September and January, the months when RSV spreads the most. The RSV vaccine helps your baby build protection from severe RSV before birth. If you do not get an RSV vaccine during pregnancy, your newborn can still get protection through a preventive antibody immunization soon after birth.
Stay home or change plans when ill. If you are not feeling well, stay home to avoid spreading illness. Also, if someone you plan to see is sick or respiratory viruses are surging in your community, consider staying home. You can also wear a mask or, if weather permits, move the gathering outdoors.
If you have questions or concerns, talk to your doctor. Knowing the facts about vaccines and pregnancy can offer confidence and comfort. Visit cdc.gov/RiskLessDoMore to learn more about getting your flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines before the holidays. Or visit vaccines.gov to get started.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
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