Passport to Health
Attendance is an important factor in children’s school success. Studies have shown that students who attend school regularly scores higher on test than their peers who are frequently absent (Epstein pg 309). Illness is one of the leading causes of absenteeism among school age kids. Therefore keeping kids healthy and teaching them ways to stay healthy will aid in avoiding missing school related to illness. With flu and cold season just around the corner, school age kids are at higher risk for contracting this all too common viral infection. One of the main reasons, children visits their doctors or stay home from school is related to Rhinovirus, Influenza virus and Group B streptococcal infections (Johns Hopkins Medicine).
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Many parents have a hard time deciding if their kids are well enough to go to school. Educating both students and parents about signs and symptoms of infection will assist them in making a more informed decision on when a child is too ill for school. According to the CDC, children should stay home if they have fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose not associated to allergies, body aches, headaches, chills, tiredness or malaise, diarrhea and vomiting (CDC.gov). One way to safeguard children’s health is to stay up to date with their recommended vaccines. It is also beneficial for them to receive annual flu vaccine. Annual Influenza vaccination has been recommended for all children 6 months to 18 years of age since 2008 by CDC. Research has proven that flu vaccination reduced a child’s risk of respiratory complications related to flu by 60% (CDC.gov). Nutrition also plays an important role in student health. Proper nutrition promotes optimal growth and development of children. Researchers generally find that a higher quality diet is associated with better performance on academic test scores and that nutritional status can directly affect mental capacity among school age children (Frisvold). Teaching students about the benefits of good nutrition will help them stay healthy throughout their growing years. “My plate” is one of the easy and interactive tools they can avail to assist them in making healthier food
The Influenza virus is a unique respiratory viral disease that can have serious economic and social disruption to society. The virus is airborne transmitted through droplets release by coughing or sneezing from an infected person or by touching infected surfaces. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may even result in death. People with the virus usually experience fever, headache, shivering, muscle pain and cough, which can lead to more severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia. People most susceptible to the flu virus are elderly individuals and young children as well as anyone whose health or immune system has been compromise. The most effective way to counteract the influenza virus is to get the flu vaccine which is available by shots or nasal spray before the flu season as well as practicing safe hygiene. (CDC, 2013)
Ng, Sophia, et al. "The Effect Of Age And Recent Influenza Vaccination History On The Immunogenicity And Efficacy Of 2009-10 Seasonal Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccination In Children." Plos One 8.3 (2013): e59077. MEDLINE. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Schools, offices, and any workforce should require students and employees before entering to protect those who surround them from getting sick. Students, in fact, before they enroll to school, they are required to get their yearly flu and other required vaccinations. Hence, this should continue so none of the students and staff would get infected. Despite that many people still do not believe in vaccinations, there is more proof shown that vaccinations had been a great help to many. It decreases the number of people getting sick and getting infected with serious diseases. Furthermore, it lessens the pain of a person who is ill because he or she is protected due to the vaccinations that was given to him or her. However, people should not take for granted of getting vaccinated, especially for the parents. Immunizations will protect their children and themselves from getting sick. Vaccinations are surely safe and they, indeed, prevent illnesses such as measles, chickenpox, shingles, polio, etc. that anyone may encounter. Hopefully, more vaccinations would develop and continue to be given for different types of diseases that may develop in the future. People need to keep in mind that the more people will vaccinate, the more healthier and safer the surroundings will become. All the more people will be encouraged and they will believe that
Getting you flu shot make you immune system stronger for fighting bacteria and viruses that around you and that you can catch, and especially for the kids because they go to school and communicate
Unfortunately, in today’s society, school administrators focus heavily on standardized test scores and school rankings thus adding more pressure on students and teachers. This being said, schools have begun to focus on providing healthy foods because they help increase a person’s cognitive and critical thinking ability. It is seen that nutrition plays a great role in students’ performance on exams and physical activity due to the correlation between school provided meals and low student
Williamson, D. A., Han, H., Johnson, W. D., Martin, C. K., & Newton, R. L. (2013). Modification of the school cafeteria environment can impact childhood nutrition. Results from the Wise Mind and LA Health studies. Appetite, 61, 77–84. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.002
If you are sick with flu-like illness (fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue), stay home for at least 24
Moreover, the controversy over cafeteria food is whether or not it is healthy for all students from elementary schools to colleges. Numerous factors lead to unhealthy eating in schools and on campuses. Sometimes options with better nutrition are offered, but when there are, they tend to be less appealing than the unhealthy foods which turns to obesity. Many schools are undergoing budget cuts and changes, and healthy food tends to take a back burner when deciding where the limited amounts of money should go (Gupta). Unfortunately, when schools do have healthy ingredients, the food is usually prep...
Influenza is an illness that can result in prolonged hospitalization or even death in cases that are not treated in time. The influenza virus changes every year and it is recommended by the CDC that all people 6 months and older get vaccinated every year to protect
Education is neither linear nor static. It requires evolution and fluctuations. I received my undergraduate degree in Exercise Science at UNC Charlotte, and now it is time for a prime conversion to be made. Attending the Masters of Public Health program at UNC Charlotte would open the door for me to pursue my career aspirations in health care. Specifically, I am interested in epidemiological methods in community health. My ambition, perseverance, and work ethic have brought me to a high point, and enrolling in the Masters in Public Health program would raise that threshold even higher.
Staying away from processed foods is the first step. Yet, to achieve a healthy diet, many people look to the internet. Many times finding that incorporation of all food groups is the best way to go. This is usually shown with the Food Pyramid, more recently with My Plate. The Food Pyramid was replaced with My Plate in 2011 because, “[like the Food Pyramid,] My Plate divides foods into five groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy. It is meant to teach people how to create a balanced meal” (“Nutrition”). This is something the Food Pyramid did not provide information to. It just categorized foods into five food groups, leaving out the recommended amount of what is meant to be consumed a day. This left people with a bad impression that as long as all food groups were incorporated into a meal, the meal would be considered healthy. In contrast, My Plate, painted a picture of the amount of each food group that should be consumed at each meal. Now, it is more common to see school utilize My Plate and serve healthier meals during lunch and break. If more schools were to implement healthier options, schools would be able to help prevent overweight and obesity. With not just lectures, but with physical engagement (“Nutrition.” Healthy Living.). By having them choose between an apple or a banana, instead of some bag of chips and a cookie, there is a higher chance for them to make healthier
The flu, a common cold, whooping cough, or in certain cases bronchitis or pneumonia. This is commonly because parents commonly find little need in getting vaccinations or believe that it barely does anything to prevent diseases, infections and viruses. However, it’s been proven multiple times that vaccinations not only prevent kids from getting a virus but also prevent the spread of it throughout and help others who may have an infection or virus slightly, to fight it off quicker, and more productively. We hear about these problems of constant diseases every year, let’s make it easier on ourselves and others by having everyone take the right
The foods that are available in schools play a huge role in the overall consumption of food/calories eaten in a day by our children. This in turn gives our children the energy to learn in class. An improper diet can lead to childhood obesity and other health problems (diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer) which can stem from being overweight, both physically and emotionally. One article states how childhood obesity, ages 2-19, tripled from 1980 to 2008 and as of June 2014, 17% of children were obese (Cluss, Fee, Culyba, Bhat, Owen, 2014) and another article states that as of September 2014 one-third of our children, ages 6-19, are overweight or obese (Hennessy et al., 2014). My priority issue focuses on bringing healthier food menus to schools
Health care has always been an interesting topic all over the world. Voltaire once said, “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” It may seem like health care that nothing gets accomplished in different health care systems, but ultimately many trying to cures diseases and improve health care systems.
Personal health is extremely important to everyone around the world. But it is especially important to citizens of the United States of America. Being one of the leading countries in Health technology and also in food and beverage leaves most people choosing between living a healthy lifestyle and indulging in the varieties of food we offer. Across the country, many people are living with pre-existing conditions, living in food deserts, living below the poverty line and a long list of other factors that either hinders them from eating healthy or force them to eat healthily. When trying to live a healthy lifestyle in this country not only does the promotion of prevention matter, but also the promotion of Career and job opportunities matter just as much. In the United States, Money equals Power and money also equal the opportunity to create and live a healthier lifestyle.