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JILLIA N K LE IN , MD
ASK THE
Pediatrician, General and Community
pediatrician advocate F OR Y OUR CHILD ’ S HE A LT H
Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s
Diet, sleep and health make for a very busy intersection
Vitamin S
THE FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER
PA R T 3
Why are they so hard to navigate?
The center helps families, community providers and agencies find health information, community resources and support. Call 513-636-7606 for assistance.
In this issue, Jillian Klein, MD, General and Community Pediatrics, provides insights into kids’ good health, how parents can set good examples, and a thing or two about sleep and food that might surprise you.
SPE CI A L NEEDS RES OUR CE DIR ECTORY Use this directory to find information, resources and advocacy strategies at www.cincinnatichildrens.org/ special-needs.
J OIN S P E CI A L CON NECTI ONS
This is the last article in a threepart series that examines how good nutrition, sufficient sleep and good health are interwoven in children’s lives. Healthy sleep and diet are essential to growing bodies.
Our online community connects with others parenting a child with special healthcare needs: www.cincinnatichildrens. inspire.com.
JOIN A
research
S T U DY
ECZEMA/RED, ITCHY RASH STUDY
AUTISM SPECTRUM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER STUDY
For children 1 and 2 years old
Does your child show signs of a possible autism spectrum or developmental disorder? Children 18 months to 4 years old needed for a research study.
What: A study to look at the progression of allergic diseases in kids with atopic dermatitis/eczema Who: Children 1 and 2 years old who have eczema/red, itchy rash Pay: Up to $300 for five visits and allergy skin testing results Contact: MPAACH@cchmc.org 513-803-8000
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What: To evaluate a blood test being developed to identify children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and find out if it will differentiate children with ASD from children with developmental delays and/or children who are developing normally Who: Children, 18 months to 4 years old, who show signs of an ASD or developmental disorder. Children who have a genetic disorder (ex. Fragile X, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, tuberous sclerosis) will NOT be able to participate. Pay: $100 for time, effort and travel Contact: autism@cchmc.org | 513-803-3582 www.cincinnatichildrens.org/camp-study
HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you have a question for the pediatrician, email youngandhealthy@cchmc.org.
@cincychildrens
facebook.com/cincinnatichildrensfans
Q: Kids today are used to eating on-the-go.
youtube.com/cincinnatichildrens
cincinnatichildrensblog.org
D ID YOU KN O W ?
Are they making more poor eating choices than their parents did when they were growing up?
Research shows that 65 percent of children whose parents have one or more “interactive” electronics (tablet or smartphone, laptop or desktop computer, and/or video game) in their bedroom also have at least one device in their own bedroom.
A: Eating out has increased a lot in the last generation
or two. There is a growing imbalance between calories in and calories out. It can be hard to eat healthy while trying to make it to after-school activities, sports or if parents are working different shifts. Q: There are healthy options at many fast-food
restaurants, but overall, how much is fast food a factor in children’s weight issues?
TOP 3 WAYS TO IMPROVE A CHILD’S NUTRITION
A: Fast foods are readily available, cheap and high-
calorie. Food portions in general are bigger now, both in restaurants and at home. Kids are consuming a huge amount of sugar in sweetened drinks and hidden in an array of foods.
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Q: When it comes to sleep, how important
well before bed, do your own nightly ritual. It’s much harder for kids to accept that they can’t stay up late if you’re doing it.
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A: Yes. Notice their snoring and breathing, symptoms
of sleep apnea. Look for whether they have a tough time waking up, or are sleepy and inattentive during the day. The amount of sleep that kids get varies by age. That often surprise parents. With babies and toddlers, you can spread it out with naps, but older kids need their extended periods of uninterrupted sleep.
oatmeal, fresh fruit, whole-grain cereal, and low-fat milk. Avoid sugary
Look for hidden sugar. It’s not just candy and desserts. Sugar is also hidden in things like bread, canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, low-fat meals, fast food, and ketchup. Check those labels!
Q: Could a child’s lack of sleep be caused
by an underlying problem?
be overweight or obese than those who skip it. Healthy options include cereals, donuts and toaster pastries.
is it for parents to set a good example?
A: Be the change. Turn off the TV and the phone
Make breakfast a priority. Children who eat breakfast are less likely to
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Schedule regular meal times. Children like routine. If your kids know they will only get food at certain times, they will be more likely to eat what they get when they get it.
ABO U T TH I S I S S U E GENETIC TEST RESULTS: DO YOU AND YOUR TEEN WANT TO LEARN ALL, SOME OR NONE?
Research Study for Teens 13 to 17 Years Old and a Parent What: To determine why teens and parents choose to learn or not learn genetic test results for certain diseases as well as how they feel about their choices and learning their test results Who: Teens 13 to 17 years old who are able to make independent decisions and their parent Pay: Up to $50 for time, effort and travel Contact: Matt Veerkamp matthew.veerkamp@cchmc.org | 513-803-3279
W I N T E R 2017
YOUNG AND HEALTHY is a quarterly publication from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. For more health news and patient stories, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter online at www.cincinnatichildrens.org/subscribe © 2017 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center PRODUCED BY
The Department of Marketing & Communications Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center 3333 Burnet Ave., MLC 9012, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026 Phone: 513-636-4420 Advisers: Chris Peltier, MD, and Zeina Samaan, MD Editorial Consultant: Jillian Klein, MD Editorial Staff: Tom O’Neill, managing editor Design: Christina Ullman & Alix Northrup, Ullman Design 3
FEATURED PHYSICIAN
a personal story
>> K ATE McG O V E R N , M D
In Dad’s Footsteps
WHEN DAD DR. MCGOVERN RETIRED, DAUGHTER DR. MCGOVERN TOOK OVER MANY OF HIS PATIENTS
K
ate McGovern, MD, never had a second career goal. Not in kindergarten. Not in grade school. Not in high school. Certainly not at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “I loved ‘Take Your Daughter to Work Day,’” she says. “I would round with Dad at the hospitals. I loved seeing the babies in the nurseries. I especially loved it when he would walk into a patient’s room and everyone would say, ‘Oh, Dr. McGovern, we’re so glad you’re here.’ I thought, ‘I want to do that someday.’ ” (Top right) The doctors McGovern volunteer to serve on the medical advisory board of the Tandana Foundation. Tandana is a non-profit that offers intercultural volunteer experiences, including medical trips. (Right) Kate McGovern, MD, is affiliated with Cincinnati Children’s and a pediatrician at Anderson Hills Pediatrics.
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Her childhood inspiration: “Take Your Daughter to Work Day”
(Above) Kate McGovern didn’t know by infancy that she wanted to be a doctor like her dad, Mark McGovern, but a couple years later, she did. (Left) On a 2016 trip to Ecuador, Kate and her dad conduct health screenings for kids. Kate is making her fifth trip in April. Her dad has made 10.
Today, she does. McGovern is a pediatrician at Anderson Hills Pediatrics, where in 2013 she replaced her dad, Mark, when he retired from the practice. “I inherited a lot of his patients,” she says. “Many are second-generation. Their parents were Dad’s patients. It’s great continuity.” She says she gained a lot of insight into how best to care for patients, especially how to listen to them. Kids’s emotional and behavioral health a key issue McGovern sees more than her share of sore throats, colds and abdominal pains. But she’s also attuned to kids’ growing need for mental and emotional health.
“The prevalence of depression and anxiety I see in young adults is staggering,” she says. “I wasn’t prepared for it, and there’s a lot of learning on the fly.” She says it’s not only a huge component of her work schedule, but also one of doctors’ biggest challenges. “As we’re seeing the effectiveness of vaccines, kids are healthier. But we’re also seeing a change in primary care. There’s definitely more acceptance and awareness of emotional health now and that’s a good thing.” The key to every doctor’s office, she says, is good two-way communication. What starts as small talk can lead to important revelations about how a child is really feeling. “My favorite part, so far, is the relationships
I have with families,” McGovern says. “One of my favorite questions for patients is a question my dad used to ask them, “what do you want to be when you grow up?’” She’s come a long way from her high school days, when she would help out in her dad’s office, escorting patients and families into rooms and checking the kids’ height and weight. She’s upholding family tradition in other ways, as well. She is the 2017 president of the Cincinnati Pediatric Society, a position her father held earlier in his career. As such, she’ll also take over the role of “Ask the Pediatrician,” one of the most popular features of Young and Healthy. So look for her insights in future editions.
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SPOTLIGHT ON
c o mm u n i t y o u t r e a c h
Child Health Education growing i n l i b e rt y t ow n s h i p
Books, songs, puppets and more: Just what a child’s mind needs!
TO DATE, ABOUT
TO D ATE, AB OUT
900
children and families have taken part in our child health programs
S
top by the Liberty Center near Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus and you might discover tips on parenting, or hear a book come alive with songs and puppets. It’s all part of Cincinnati Children’s exciting partnership with the mixed-use development to bring child health programming to the Liberty Township region. Nearly a year ago, our experts and teams of volunteers began facilitating free child health workshops and participating in community events with health activities. To date, about 900 children and families have taken part in our child health programs.
collaboration IS A UNIQUE WAY TO support OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND MEET CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED AS THEY engage IN WE FEEL THIS
RECREATIONAL, SOCIAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES. TOGETHER WITH THE LIBERTY CENTER, WE ARE
changing the outcomes FOR CHILDREN.” CHAR MASON, VICE PRESIDENT FOR PATIENT SERVICES AND OPERATIONS AT CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S
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H E R E ’ S T H R E E G R E AT E X A M P L E S :
Children’s StoryTime at the Discovery Center: Every fourth Friday of the month, Cincinnati Children’s is the presenting sponsor of child health activities focused on literacy development, obesity and injury prevention. Midpointe Library is our story time partner.
Ages & Stages Speaker Series: Monthly our experts engage with parents, caregivers and community professionals on topics such as mental health, early childhood development, nutrition and more.
Liberty Center Community Events: Staff engage children and families in fun, interactive education around choosing the right care, nutrition and safe sleep practices.
DID YOU K NOW ?
Reading is FUNdamental to brain health in kids Reading stories to preschool children is fun. But there’s a second, really important reason to do it: medical research shows it stimulates the part of their brain that supports mental imagery and narrative comprehension. It’s basically like turning on a light switch for their creativity.
LIB ER TY C EN T E R IS L O C AT E D AT 7100 Foundry Row in Liberty Township, just a 1.9-mile drive from Cincinnati Children’s Liberty Campus overlooking Interstate-75, at State Route 129.
For more information or to attend one of these events, please contact us at communityrelations@cchmc.org or 513-636-4420.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, was led by Cincinnati Children’s researchers John S. Hutton and Scott Holland. The team analyzed 19 kids, ages 3 to 5, using brain scans while the kids listened to ageappropriate stories. The scans showed that reading to kids activates neural activity in the left side of the brain, in an area
that is a “hub” region for semantic language processing. The word “semantic” relates to the meaning of words and phrases. So get those books out. As for when you should start reading to your child, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a two-word answer: at birth!
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inside
THI S I S S U E
3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 9012 Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
READING AS BRAIN FOOD At the Liberty Center in Liberty Township, our community outreach is helping to activate kids’ imaginations.
sign up URGENT CARE OR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT Our check-list can help guide your decision.
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BRV151757
WINTER 2017
healthy
young and
A guide to your child’s good health
The sleep-nutrition connection, Liberty reading program, and a doctor follows in her dad’s footsteps