Livingwell september 2015

Why Do Kids Need Sports Physicals Decrease in Vaccinations Brings Back Crippling Diseases Block Cyberbullying

Living Well Through Awareness

By Cathy Nedd Chief Operating Officer Michigan Chronicle

Welcome to Living Well. Recognized as the single most credible source of fitness, health and nutrition information for African Americans, each edition is crafted to provide insight into health disparities impacting African Americans and methods of prevention and treatment.

There is a growing need for health awareness in our community.

The mission of Living Well is to provide our readers with a wealth of information that enables them to live healthier and happier lives. On these pages you will find content on health issues, healthy lifestyles and relatable personal stories from people in our community.

This month’s Living Well shifts gears into the back-to–school season, with sports physicals, cyber bullying and vaccinations.

Living Well isn’t just words on a page, it’s a lifestyle and the Michigan Chronicle takes pride in helping lead the way.

Be healthy and Live Well.

Table of Contents

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Why Do Kids Need Sports Physicals?

Decrease in Vaccinations brings back crippling diseases Block Cyberbullying

Publisher | Hiram E. Jackson Managing Editor | Tatiana Jackson Graphic Designer | Juan Sifuentes Michigan Chronicle 479 Ledyard St. • Detroit, MI 48201 • (313) 963-8100 Ext. 301 2 LivingWELL • August 2015

Many kids love the prospect of learning, while others may need a bit of motivation. But parents can get kids on board with a little encouragement and creativity to make learning fun. Here are some ideas to get kids excited to learn.

Library Visits By making a run-of-the-mill trip to the library seem like a true adventure, kids will associate books with intrigue at an impressionable age.

The librarian can point out the best titles for inspiring learning and fun.

Time visits to occur during your local branch’s storytelling hour or other early childhood programming. Also, be sure to sign your child up for a personal library card, which will be a source of pride at the circulation desk and put them on the path of reading enrichment.

Learning Tablets To give kids an extra edge in learning, consider a fun yet educational tablet, such as the InnoTab MAX. Durable enough for kids, this device has a 7-inch multi-touch screen, and features progressive learning content that adapts to a child’s age.

Web access and communication apps, which kids can use to exchange messages with friends and family, are limited to protect children, and parents are free to manage these controls. The tablet comes with Movie Maker and Art Studio, amongst other apps, and additional content can be found at the Learning Lodge app store.

“The tablet has proven to be a welcome way for kids to interact with digital media,” says Dr. Eric Klopfer, Platform Learning Expert and member of the Expert Panel at VTech, a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for

children. “Touch interfaces and well-crafted content have meant an easy-on ramp for many children who learn through this technology.”

Board Game Night After dinner, gather round the table a second time. From classic word games that challenge one to stretch the limits of his or her vocabulary, to trivia games testing science and world history knowledge, board games have the potential to bring the family together and also to educate. Be sure to check the box for age-appropriate guidance.

Wearable Tech Wearable technology can inspire kids to learn and be creative while staying active. For example, the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX offers motion-activated games, a stopwatch, calendar, 3D clock face and calculator so kids can work out simple math problems. It also includes a time-telling app featuring a friendly owl that helps kids learn to tell time, and additional apps are available for download on the Learning Lodge. The internal memory offers ample storage for budding photographers and videographers documenting the world around them.

Sweeten the Deal Consider creating a rewards chart where children can track their progress as they meet learning goals. It can be an effective way to motivate kids to try new ways of learning and work hard to reach a goal. You can find many free downloadable charts online.

More ideas can be found at www.vtechkids. com/parenting.

To make learning a priority in your home, get kids on board. They’ll be inspired when they see that learning can be fun. (StatePoint)

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LivingWELL • August 2015 3

With back-to-school season already here, and school sports starting up, too, here’s what parents need to know about checkups and sports health.

By Megan Krueger August is a busy time for parents. Not only are Mom and Dad trying to squeeze the last dregs of family fun out of the summer season, they’re also preparing for back-to-school in September.

On the to-do list for many, right along with buying notebooks, backpacks and pencils? Scheduling a physical exam, so your teen can play sports at school.

Dr. Richard Humes, chief of cardiology at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, sheds some light on sports physicals, the importance of regular health checkups and heart health.

What is a sports physical?

A sports physical, also known as a pre-participation physical examina-

4 LivingWELL • August 2015

tion, is done to ensure kids are in good enough health to participate in school athletics. The form, which can be found on the Michigan High School Athletic Association website, asks questions about family history, heart health, bones and joints, asthma and more.

Sports physicals aren’t required in Michigan for children of all ages. Instead, only your high schoolage athlete has to have one of these physicals done before participating in sports, per MHSAA. “Before that, there isn’t really a great need for that from an official standpoint,” said Humes.

But kids and teens should have physical exams with their pediatrician regularly “as part of normal care,” Humes noted, which should answer a lot of the pre-participation health questions.

Talking health, hearts and history over the years, the questions asked on the sports physical form required for high schoolers have changed, transitioning from inquiries about communicable diseases to a new form developed in 2009 that focuses on previous injuries, family health history and exercise-induced conditions.

In regards to cardiovascular wellbeing prior to sports participa-

tion, some parents may have heard of sudden cardiac death and have concerns.

“When a kid dies, particularly a kid on the athletic field, it makes the front page of the paper and so it gets people’s attention and it scares parents and rightfully so,” said Humes. But rest assured, “It really doesn’t happen very often.”

Still, with concern for overall health and safety, the American Heart Association recommends screening for the risk, looking for things like heart murmurs, chest pain, unexplained fainting or near-fainting and high blood pressure. Plus, it’s important to record family history of any heart conditions.

These questions, the AHA notes, can help to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death among young athletes.

Know, too, that even if it’s found your child is a risk for sudden cardiac arrest, that doesn’t mean all sports are out of the question. For example, there are options like golf instead of basketball..

What should a parent be mindful of in regards to the heart?

Said Humes, “One is exertional chest pain.”

That might be cause to call the cardiologist. Still, Humes says it’s important to note that chest pain is actually “one of the most common things we see children for.” Yet, “99.9 percent of chest pain in all children is non-cardiac” and most is a resting, non-exertional pain, usually musculoskeletal related.

“Ultimately, you want to prepare a child for safety in sports and one of the areas is certainly the heart, but it’s not the only area,” said Humes.

In general, students coming in for sports physicals don’t need to make an appointment with the cardiologist and little is gained with cardiology tests. For most kids, “the physical that they have done at a pediatrician’s office is completely adequate for looking for the kind of things that we want to look for prior to participation,” said Humes.

CDC vaccine schedules app for clinicians and other immunization providers

Source: Metro Parent Southeast Michigan.

Healthcare professionals who recommend or administer vaccines can immediately access all CDC recommended immunization schedules and footnotes using the CDC Vaccine Schedules app.

Optimized for tablets and useful on smartphones, the app shows the child, adolescent and adult vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

The app visually mimics the printed schedules, which are reviewed and published annually. Users can identify correct vaccine, dosage and timing with two or three clicks. Any changes in the schedules will be released through app updates. This app is one of an expanding collection of applications from CDC on a variety of specific topics, each optimized for mobile devices. This free tool provides the most current version of the •Child and adolescent schedules with immunization recommendations from birth through age 18 •Catch-up schedule for children 4 months through 18 years •Adult schedule, including recommended vaccines for adults by age group and by medical condition •Contraindications and precautions table, with all footnotes that apply to schedules Features of the app: •Color coding coordinates with printed schedules •Hyperlinked vaccine name opens as a pop-up with dose specifics •Catch-up schedule for children shows minimum dosing intervals •Related vaccine resources and websites are included •Any changes in the schedules will be released through app updates For more information please visit: www.cdc.gov.

LivingWELL • August 2015 5

Decrease in vaccinations brings back crippling diseases This month Living WELL interviewed Dr. Arti Subramanian who explained the importance of vaccinations and the deadly diseases associated with not getting vaccinated.

Living WELL: Can you explain how vaccines prevent diseases?

Dr. Arti Subramkanian: Vaccines contain Dr. Arti Subramanian a killed or weakened part of a germ responsible for causing disease. This is enough to generate antibodies — a huge part of the immune system that remembers the germs one’s body is exposed to. Giving a person vaccines means that they have been exposed to a disease-causing germ without getting the disease. They will have lifetime protection against that particular disease.

There is also the concept of herd immunity. If almost every child gets the recommended vaccines, it definitely offers them protection, but because they will not get sick, they will not pass on illness to those who cannot get the same vaccines for various reasons.

LW: Does the decrease in vaccinations affect the general population?

DAS: Oh absolutely. If anyone paid attention to the news, a couple of months ago there was an outbreak of measles in California that spread throughout the country. Children died during this outbreak. Families were placed in quarantine because they had been exposed to measles, and their children were unvaccinated either because they were too young, or by parental choice.

Babies are at very high risk of certain diseases because till a certain age they cannot be vaccinated against certain diseases that may only make an older child or adult sick, but should the baby get it, the baby will die or suffer from the after-effects for the rest of their lives.

LW: Are children who receive the vaccine at risk of contracting these diseases or are they immune?

DAS: Children who receive all vaccinations due for their ages are considered completely immune to those diseases. There is the exception that must always be mentioned, that there will be that one in 6 LivingWELL • August 2015

a million child that does not get full immunity, but if that child is in an environment where everyone else is vaccinated, they are protected from illness.

LW: For children who are not receiving recommended vaccination, what are the dangers?

DAS: There are so many things that have the potential to happen to an unvaccinated child and their family. Of course, the top one is the danger of acquiring any vaccine- preventable illness, which can lead to critical illness, permanent disability, loss of limb or life.

Pregnant women who are unvaccinated and exposed to diseases like rubella, chickenpox and measles are at high risk of having fetal damage. This most commonly includes the brain and eyes, but the whole body may be affected.

LW: With the growing number of parents opting out of the MMR shot, will unvaccinated children cause an outbreak?

DAS: Have we not learned from the recent outbreak of measles? Yes, it will. According to the CDC, which tracks all outbreaks, there was one large outbreak of measles this year; in 2014, there were 23 outbreaks, the largest of which had 383 cases of measles in nearby Ohio in an unvaccinated community. This was started by exposure to unvaccinated travelers from the Philippines which had an outbreak; in 2013, there were 11 outbreaks.

Adults over 20 years of age, pregnant women, infants and children less than 5 years old are at high risk for complications from measles infections. It is ridiculous, I think, that people still refuse the MMR vaccine. The refusal is most of the time due to a study published years ago that stated an association between autism and the MMR vaccine.

This association has never been reproduced in any other study, even by the same author, and the original study has been found to be an elaborate hoax. Yes, a giant lie for money and fame. It has been retracted.

There never was an association between the vaccine and autism, yet, a lie continues to be propagated by people who do not understand the whole story and children continue to die.

LW: Can parents decide to provide their children with a vaccine past the recommended time by the CDC? DAS: Yes. Go to your doctor’s office and have a conversation with him or her. We will try to answer all your questions and come up with a catch-up schedule for your child and other members of your family if needed. We will direct you to resources we trust.

We’re here to try to keep your family healthy and vaccines are a huge part of that. Your local health department is also an excellent resource for information and vaccines.

To read the complete interview with Dr. Subramanian please visit Michronicle.com website under Living WELL.

We live in an era where “meet me at 3 o’clock” on the playground no longer exists. Now bullies can safely hide behind their computer screens and cause just as much damage, if not more. Cyberbullying is easier than ever with the help of technology and social applications, leaving nowhere for victims to hide.

Oftentimes parents are not friends or do not “follow” their children’s friends online and most kids are not open about “tattletaling” on fellow classmates.

According to stopbullying.gov, “Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat and websites.

How can parents keep their children safe from what they cannot see? Be aware of what your kids are doing online. Talk with your kids about cyberbullying and other online issues regularly.

•Know the sites your kids visit and their on line activities. Ask where they’re going, what they’re doing, and who they’re doing it with.

•Tell your kids that as a responsible parent you may review their online communica- tions if you think there is reason for concern. Installing parental control filtering software or monitoring programs are one option for monitoring your child’s online behavior, but do not rely solely on these tools.

•Have a sense of what they do online and in texts. Learn about the sites they like. Try out the devices they use.

•Ask for their passwords, but tell them you will only use them in case of emergency.

•Ask to “friend” or “follow” your kids on social media sites or ask another trusted adult to do so.

•Encourage your kids to tell you immediate- ly if they, or someone they know, is being

cyberbullied. Explain that you will not take away their computers or cell phones if they confide in you about a problem they are having.

Establish rules about appropriate use of computers, cell phones and other technology. For example, be clear about what sites they can visit and what they are permitted to do when they are online. Show them how to be safe online.

Help them to be smart about what they post or say. Tell them not to share anything that could hurt or embarrass themselves or others. Once something is posted, it is out of their control whether someone else will forward it.

Encourage kids to think about who they want to see the information and pictures they post online. Should complete strangers see it? Real friends only? Friends of friends? Think about how people who aren’t friends could use it.

Tell kids to keep their passwords safe and not share them with friends. Sharing passwords can compromise their control over their online identities and activities.

In Michigan, there are no specific groups listed under Michigan anti-bullying laws. The law states that all pupils are protected and that bullying is equally prohibited without regard to subject matter or motivation.

Schools that receive federal funding are required by federal law to address (persecution and) discrimination. Find out more about Michigan’s antibullying laws and policies at http://www.stopbullying. gov/laws/michigan.html.

Courtesy of Stopbullying.gov.

LivingWELL • August 2015 7

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