Keeping Kids Healthy During Back-to-School Season

Keeping Kids Healthy During Back-to-School Season

 

It's that time of the year when schoolkids lament the end of the summer and parents enjoy their child's return to the classroom. However, keeping those kids in the classroom rather than at home sick is easier said than done -- especially since the common cold and other illnesses can spread quickly in a school setting.

"Anytime you put people together in any type of crowded conditions, including schools, you see an increase in infectious diseases," said Vincent Fischetti, head of the bacterial pathogenesis and immunology laboratory at Rockefeller University in New York City.
 

The youngest students are particularly susceptible to catching illnesses, said Sandi Delack, president of the National Association of School Nurses. Aside from the fact that their immune systems are not fully built up, they are always sticking their hands in their mouths. "Parents of kindergartners are amazed at how often their kids get sick," Delack said. She reminds parents that all those illnesses aren't completely a bad thing, because as the child is exposed to new pathogens, he also develops a stronger immunity.

So how can you keep your kids healthier? Teaching and enforcing good hygiene habits is key. "Hand washing really is the most important thing," Fischetti said, explaining that touching infected surfaces and then touching your mouth or eating food you handled is a prime transmission route.

 
Fischetti also recommends encouraging kids to drink plenty of water -- healthy in its own right for sure, but as a bonus, it will lead to more bathroom trips and thus provide more opportunities for hand washing. Prime times for hand washing are before lunch and right after school. "Before lunch, kids have been touching all kinds of things and then they touch their food, which gets contaminated," Fischetti said.

Fischetti recommends parents pack a hand wipe or sanitizer right in the lunchbox to make it easy for kids to quickly clean their hands before eating. Then, when they get off the school bus, they should learn to head for the bathroom and wash up to avoid spreading germs from the school to other family members, he said. Delack adds that kids should be taught to keep their hands away from their eyes, mouth and nose; cough and sneeze into their elbows instead of their hands; and avoid sharing drinks and lip balms.

Delack said, too, that children should get plenty of sleep and eat a nutritious diet to boost the body's natural immune defenses. Limit sugary food and drinks and serve a variety of fresh whole foods. This is particularly important as children readjust to their back-to-school routines.
Finally, if your child does get sick, don't send her to school, as you'll put other kids at risk. "That's the worst thing to do when a child's at the peak of their infectivity," Fischetti said, adding that the initial stages of illness are the most infectious.

For more information, check out these tips for parents and teachers from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parents and teachers can also refer kids to the CDC's child-themed Web page which has games and activities to encourage healthy hygiene.