Health Tips
| Breakfast | Sleep |
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Handwashing | Backpack | Prepairing for the weather |
O'Malley Home Page
Mom was right. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (at least one of the three most important meals). Breakfast is the fuel that keeps your body running throughout the day. Your brain and nervous system need food to function. That means all physical and mental activity, including walking, speaking, working, playing, and, especially in the case of students, learning, requires this fuel.
Unfortunately it's just too easy to skip breakfast. You're in a rush, you or your children would prefer to sleep a little later, or it's too hectic getting the kids off, and you can't seem to find the time. However, it is vitally important that your students eat something before school. If they don't eat anything in the morning, they are literally forcing their bodies to run on an empty tank. If the last time they ate was 6 p.m. last night, and they don't eat lunch until noon today, that's eighteen hours of starving their brain cells. They become drowsy and are not able to concentrate on their schoolwork. Eating highly sugared breakfasts, such as sugary cereals, pop tarts or donuts also causes problems. The student's blood sugar soars and then suddenly drops, leaving the students feeling ill. They often wind up in my office with headaches or stomachaches.
If your students don't like traditional breakfast foods, there are plenty of alternatives available. Warmed up leftovers are excellent: pizza, soups, and pastas. Some are portable for eating in the car or while walking to school. Peanut butter on bread, toast or crackers works well. What child would turn down popcorn for breakfast? Yogurt, cheese and crackers, fruit, smoothies, or hot cereals are good choices. Chris Boone RN
All too often, students coming to my office with headaches or upset stomachs and no temperatures are just over-tired. When they lie down to rest, they fall quickly fall asleep. Upon awakening, they go back to class and function well for the rest of the day.
Elementary students need at least nine hours of sleep a night, and about 30 minutes of wind-down time before they go to bed. With busy days and evenings, it may be difficult to schedule that much sleep for your children.
Also, children who have televisions or computers in their rooms may get up again after they have gone to bed and begin watching TV or playing computer games. (They will often confess things to their school nurse that they wouldn't want to confess to their parents.) Siblings in the same bedroom can also cause sleep disturbances. Younger siblings may be restless, and older siblings may keep them awake past their bedtime.
Research shows that sleepy students perform less well in school and in sports, and are more prone to injuries than their well rested peers. Children who are sleep deprived can be irritable, easily frustrated, and hyperactive. Chronic lack of sleep can also be associated with some major health problems, including obesity and diabetes.
Please try to be sure your students get the full nine hours of sleep each school night. They will be happier, healthier kids, and better students.
Chris Boone
HANDWASHING
Studies have shown that handwashing is the single most important
thing people can do to prevent the spread of germs. However,
a recent survey of people's handwashing habits conducted in public
restrooms across the United States found that almost one third
of people do not wash their hands after using the bathroom.
In a recent school-based handwashing study, students were required in school to wash their hands thoroughly four times each day. They washed their hands upon arrival at school, before lunch, after using the restroom, and before leaving school for home. The result was predictable: Absenteeism in the school decreased sharply during the study period.
Never assume that children know how to wash their hands. They need to be taught to use soap and warm, running water; to wash all surfaces thoroughly, including wrists, palms, back of hands, fingers, and under the fingernails; and to rub their hands together for at least 10 to 15 seconds.
Everyone should wash their hands before they prepare or eat food, before they treat a cut or wound, and before they take care of someone who is sick.
Everyone should wash their hands after they handle uncooked foods, especially raw meat, poultry, or fish. They should also wash after using the restroom, playing with a pet (especially reptiles and exotic animals), blowing their nose or coughing or sneezing, changing a diaper, handling garbage, or taking care of someone who is sick.
Handwashing may seem trivial, but the spread of many germs
that cause infections, ranging from the common cold to diarrhea,
can be reduced by handwashing with soap and water.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not have a formal
policy statement on backpack weight, but many pediatricians recommend
that the weight of your child's pack should not exceed 20 percent
of his or her body weight. Pediatricians also recommend:
- Use of a backpack with wide, padded straps and use a hip strap
for heavier weights
- Tighten the straps to hold the pack 2 inches above the waist,
and keep the heaviest
items close to the child's back
- Use both shoulders
- Ask your pediatrician about back-strengthening exercises, and
teach your child to bend
with both knees when picking up the backpack
- Neatly and evenly pack the backpack, and try to keep items
in place
- If necessarily, purchase a second set of books for home
Additional information can be found from Backpack Safety America,
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org), and
the National Association of School Nurses (www.nasn.org).
Earthquakes can happen in most statesanytimewithout warning. Reducing hazards and knowing what to do can make a big difference in how an earthquake affects your household. Adults and children in the household should talk about what you will do when an earthquake happens.
Here is what you can do to prepare for an Earthquake:
Prepare a Home Earthquake Plan
Choose a safe place in every room under a sturdy table
or desk or against an inside wall where nothing can fall on you.
Practice DROP, COVER, AND HOLDON at least twice a year. Drop
under a sturdy desk or table, hold on, and protect your eyes
by pressing your face against your arm. If there's no table or
desk nearby, sit on the floor against an interior wall away from
windows, bookcases, or tall furniture that could fall on you.
Teach children to DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON!
Choose an out-of-town family contact.
Consult a professional to find out additional ways you can protect
your home, such as bolting the house to its foundation and other
structural mitigation techniques.
Take a first aid class from your local Red Cross chapter. Keep
your training current.
Get training in how to use a fire extinguisher from your local
fire department.
Inform your babysitters and caregivers of your plan.
Eliminate hazards, by
Bolting bookcases, china cabinets, and other furniture to
the wall.
Installing stronger latches on cupboards.
Strapping the water heater to wall studs.
Prepare a Disaster Supplies Kit for home and car, including
First aid kit and essential medications.
Canned food and can opener.
At least three gallons of water per person.
Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags.
Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries.
Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.
Written instructions for how to turn off gas, electricity, and
water if authorities advise you to do so. (Remember, you'll need
a professional to turn natural gas service back on.)
Keeping essentials, such as a flashlight and sturdy shoes by
your bedside.
Know what to do when the shaking begins
DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! Move only a few steps to a nearby
safe place. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you're sure
it's safe to exit. Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building,
expect the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off during a quake.
If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head
with a pillow.
If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees,
and power lines. Drop to the ground.
If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place (as
described above). Stay in the car until the shaking stops.
Identify what to do after the shaking stops
Check yourself for injuries. Protect yourself from further
danger by putting on long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, sturdy
shoes, and work gloves.
Check others for injuries. Give first aid for serious injuries.
Look for and extinguish small fires. Eliminate fire hazards.
Turn off the gas if you smell gas or think it's leaking. (Remember,
only a professional should turn it back on.)
Listen to the radio for instructions.
Expect aftershocks. Each time you feel one, DROP, COVER, AND
HOLD ON!
Inspect your home for damage. Get everyone out if your home is
unsafe.
Use the telephone only to report life-threatening emergencies.
Prepairing for the weather