Health Check Qatar - October 2015

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ISSUE 19

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

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The Second Phase of the SCH Campaign Launched

HEALTHCARE MASTER PLAN SHOWS SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME THE HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE MASTER PLAN MAPS OUT THE FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR IN QATAR, DETERMINING THE SIZE, SCOPE AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF FACILITIES ACROSS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

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he campaign involves healthcare institutions, experts and specialists in the healthcare field, as well as numerous activities and events that target all sectors of society through programs that suit different age groups within governmental and non-governmental organizations, shopping malls and commercial complexes, to support the campaign’s goals and deliver the desired messages to all segments of society in the State of Qatar through the most efficient media and advertising platforms.

The “Our Future lies in Our Health” campaign focuses on three main aspects, the importance of healthy eating, physical activity and stopping smoking, through awareness messages that aim to support public health, promote preventive health and increase health education among people. The campaign also emphasizes on the role of youth in influencing their counterparts in the society and help them abandon the bad unhealthy habits.

Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Ahmed Bin Abdulla Al Khulaifi, Assistant Secretary-General for Administrative Affairs at the Supreme Council of Health, said: “The ‘Our future lies in our health’ campaign came to life after meticulous research on the general healthcare situation of the Qatari community and the challenges it is facing,” stressing that “the aim of the public awareness campaign is to promote principles and behaviors that support the advancement of society and its health.

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comprehensive strategic plan – the Healthcare Infrastructure Master Plan – has been published, which provides a detailed and comprehensive vision for the future of health facilities in Qatar.

To effectively deliver new and improved healthcare services to Qatar’s growing population, it is essential to ensure that world-class facilities are in place to deliver the right services in the right locations.

As Qatar’s population continues to grow, so does the demand for healthcare services. Building the facilities required to deliver those increased services requires considerable planning and coordination across multiple stakeholders.

The Qatar Healthcare Facilities Master Plan (QHFMP) has been developed to avoid the unnecessary duplication of services, ensure infrastructure plans take into account key determinants, such as workforce, and allow for sound and efficient use of financial resources.

“The Master Plan can be considered the structural

backbone that supports the NHS priority areas,” said Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain Ali, the Assistant Secretary General for Policy Affairs at SCH. “The completion of Project 6.4 is a major milestone on the road to ensuring universal access to health care in Qatar, and towards shifting the balance of care back to primary health care, enabling a high degree of specialization in secondary and tertiary hospital care.

“The Master Plan supports the enhancement of mental health services and preventive public health, the development of community care, continuity of care and rehabilitation services – all of which are reflected and represented by the National Health Strategy 2011-2016.”

The project reached completion in November 2013, and launched in September 2014. The 20-year blueprint produced as part of the National Health Strategy 2011-2016, outlines how Qatar can support its vision for a world-class health system, in new buildings and facilities, through ‘wise use of resources’.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

... REPORT ...

HEALTHCARE MASTER PLAN SHOWS SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (Continued from page 1...)

“Developing an infrastructure master plan is essential to guide increasing healthcare capacity and is further evidence that we are 100% committed to making sure the health sector meets the rising demand for quality services and facilities across the state for the next 20 years,” said Dr Faleh.

“Investing in health infrastructure is a priority health and social issue as increasing access to services will improve the lives of many individuals and families now and in the future.

“The QHFMP will ensure that infrastructure spending correlates directly to the needs of the population and the greater model of care.”

The final output of Project 6.4, the QHFMP delivers: • A blueprint of the future healthcare facilities in Qatar until 2033; • A five-year Action Plan 2013-2018; • A Geographic Information System (GIS) Application • A legal and financial framework dictating the implementation of this plan; • A set of public policies regarding growth and development of healthcare facilities.

Project completion The publication of the QHFMP marks the completion of National Health Strategy Project 6.4. The plan will be updated every five years to ensure the Master Plan continues to align Qatar’s infrastructure to national priorities.

The Second Phase of the SCH Campaign Launched

(Continued from page 1...)

Within the SCH’s health awareness scheme, it is a priority to improve the overall healthcare sector and its services.”

Al Khulaifi explained that the campaign was launched following numerous challenges facing the Qatari society. He indicated that based on the latest surveys done in Qatar during the past few years where figures showed that the local obesity rate reached 41%, and the smoking rate among Qatari youth within the 13-15 year age bracket reached 15.7%, which requires the intensification of awareness-raising efforts to urge the population to abandon their daily unhealthy habits and get committed to a healthier pattern.

In this regard, Al Khulaifi mentioned the strategic collaboration between the SCH and other relevant institutions in the State of Qatar to fight against unhealthy habits and the diseases resulting from them, to which the State is investing large sums of money to eliminate. He assured that health education programs PUBLISHED BY focus on covering all health aspects of the individual from physical and psychological to social facets, in alignment with the vision and mission of the Supreme Council of Health.

“Our Future lies in Our Health” campaign comes as part of the Supreme Council of Health’s vision to build a healthy future for the Qatari community and promote health education among community members, in line with its plans to support the Human Development Pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Health Strategy (NHS).

EDITORIAL TEAM ATUL SRIVASTAVA TAHER ABU ZAID ............................................

DESIGNER RAVINDRANATH KOONATH ............................................

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

... MEDICAL NEWS ...

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FOR A BETTER CALORIE BURN, DO THIS WHILE WALKING S THE BOTTOM LINE, ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCHERS: IF YOU WANT A BIGGER CALORIE BURN, WALK IN A WAY THAT FEELS UNNATURAL TO YOU

topping and starting, varying your velocity all adds to energy expended, study finds

Walking is a great way to burn extra calories, but new research suggests you might gain even more benefit if you vary your speed as you stroll.

The new research, from Ohio State University, found that changing your pace could burn up to 20 percent more calories than maintaining a steady stride.

“Most of the existing literature has been on constant-speed walking. This study is a big missing piece,” study co-author Manoj Srinivasan, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, said in a university news release.

“Measuring the metabolic cost of changing speeds is very important, because people don’t live their lives on treadmills and do not walk at constant speeds. We found that changing speeds can increase the [caloric] cost of walking substantially,” Srinivasan explained.

People may also be underestimating the number of calories they burn while walking in daily life or playing sports, the study authors said. The researchers estimated that starting and stopping may account for up to 8 percent of the energy used during normal daily walking.

This caloric cost is often not included in calorie-burning estimations, Srinivasan’s group said.

Study lead author Nidhi Seethapathi, added that “walking at any speed costs some energy, but when you’re changing the speed, you’re pressing the gas ped-

al, so to speak. Changing the kinetic energy of the person requires more work from the legs and that process certainly burns more energy.” Seethapathi is a doctoral fellow in mechanical engineering at the university.

For the study, the researchers measured the metabolic cost, or the number of calories people burned, when they changed their walking speeds. In order to do this they had volunteers change their pace while walking on a treadmill. Although the treadmill remained at a constant speed, the participants alternated between quick steps -- to stay at the front of the treadmill belt -- and slower steps, which kept them at the back.

The study also showed that people tend to walk more slowly when covering short distances, but they increase their pace if they have to walk farther. The researchers said this could be useful information for physical therapists, because they often measure their patients’ progress by the amount of time it takes them to walk a certain distance.

“What we’ve shown is the distance over which you make them walk matters,” said Seethapathi. “You’ll get different walking speeds for different distances. Some people have been measuring these speeds with relatively short distances, which our results suggest, might be systematically underestimating progress.”

The bottom line, according to the researchers: If you want a bigger calorie burn, walk in a way that feels unnatural to you.

“Just do weird things,” said Srinivasan, who also leads the Movement Lab at Ohio State. “Walk with a backpack, walk with weights on your legs. Walk for a while, then stop and repeat that. Walk in a curve as opposed to a straight line.”

The findings were published in the September issue of the journal Biology Letters.

(Source : WebMD)

Positive Outlook May Help Heart Disease Patients

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eart disease patients with a sunny disposition are more likely to exercise, stick with their medications and take other steps to ward off further heart trouble, a new study suggests.

Researchers said the findings add to a large body of evidence linking a positive approach to better heart health.

Specifically, the results support the theory that healthier habits are a key reason that positive people tend to have less heart trouble.

It all makes sense, according to James Maddux, a senior scholar at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. “Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about this complex process called self-motivation,” said Maddux, who

was not involved in the study.

When faced with a challenge -- a diagnosis of heart disease, for example -- people who are generally positive will become “task-oriented,” Maddux explained. “They’ll think, ‘OK, what do I need to do to address this challenge?’ “ he said.

In contrast, people who tend to be more negative often feel there is little they can do about life’s challenges -including a diagnosis of heart disease, Maddux suggested.

“Your disposition affects your ability to set goals and to put those plans in motion,” Maddux said.

The good news, he added, is that even a lifelong pessimist can learn to change his or her outlook.

Lead researcher Nancy Sin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for-

Healthy Aging at Pennsylvania State University, agreed. “Is it possible to change? I think so,” she said.

Sin pointed out that her team’s findings do not prove that heart disease patients’ positive outlook directly led to healthier habits. In fact, it’s likely a two-way street, she said: Physical activity, for example, typically makes people feel better mentally and emotionally, as well.

So people who tend to land on the pessimistic side might start with small steps that could do their hearts and minds good, Sin suggested.

“Take a walk every day,” she said.

“Have a conversation with a good friend. Take a moment just to think about what you’re grateful for in your life.”

(Source : WebMD)

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

... MENTAL HEALTH ...

IS MY ANXIETY NORMAL? A

ll of us worry. But do you ever wonder if you worry more than normal? Do you ever think your worries could be affecting your health?

The women I see in clinic rarely include “worrying” on their list of concerns. They come in wanting help for physical issues – their headaches, the muscle aches in their shoulders, and their low back pain.

I ask a lot of questions as I assess my patients’ symptoms. If I hear they aren’t sleeping well or that they feel irritable and restless most of the time, I start to suspect that anxiety could be playing a role in their medical problems.

Anxiety is easy to miss because, to some degree, it’s part of our everyday normal emotions. And it’s okay to sometimes worry about your job. Or feel uncomfortable before speaking to a group. Or to feel upset when something bad happens.

But when making even simple decisions everyday feels difficult, that’s a problem. You don’t need to feel worried, anxious or nervous all the time. It’s not okay to feel upset or afraid to the point you avoid activities and aren’t living your life the way you want.

What I’ve described above is classic for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but the spectrum of anxiety disorders is wide – from panic disorder to phobias. There’s also overlap

with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If you are feeling anxious to the point it affects your life and your health, talk to you doctor. There is treatment for anxiety, just like there is for depression.

I recommend that you first visit your primary care doctor – they can assess your physical and mental health. And this is an important step because often there’s more than one problem going on. Maybe the trigger for the anxiety is a medical illness like thyroid disease, heart disease, or condition that has you in chronic pain. Maybe there’s a substance abuse problem – with alcohol or marijuana, for example – that needs to be addressed.

If you do have an anxiety disorder, there is good treatment available for you including medications and talk therapy. Speaking to a professional about your feelings, thoughts, and worries is important. They can help you think through your anxiety, make sense of it, and come up with strategies on how to reduce it. There are various therapists that can help you –psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors.

And there are important steps you can take at home. Relaxation techniques can help you calm yourself. Try deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Daily exercise is important to take your anxiety down a notch, so get out there and do what you enjoy. And try to avoid caffeine, which can make you feel worse.

The most important step is recognizing that anxiety isn’t something you have to live with. It’s a treatable problem, and you can learn the skills to help control it.

(Source : WebMD.com)

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN CHILDHOOD LINKED TO ADULT WOES

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oor mental health in childhood may lower the chances of success in adulthood, a new study suggests.

Duke University researchers found that children with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and/or behavioral problems were six times more likely than those with no psychiatric problems to have difficulties in adulthood.

Those later struggles included addiction, early pregnancy, criminal charges, difficulty getting and keeping jobs, education failures and housing instability, the study authors said.

Even children with mild or passing episodes of psychiatric problems were at increased risk, according to the study in the July 15 issue of the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

While the study found an association between poor mental health in childhood and problems later in life, it did not prove a cause-and-effect link.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 1,400 participants in 11 North Carolina counties who were followed from childhood through adulthood. Most of the study participants are now in their 30s.

During childhood, about 26 percent of the participants met the criteria for depression, anxiety or a behavioral disorder, 31 percent had milder forms below the full threshold of a diagnosis, and nearly 43 percent had no mental health problems.

Among those diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder in childhood, more than 59 percent had a serious challenge in adulthood and about 34 percent had numerous problems. The rates among those with milder forms of mental illness were about 42 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

“When it comes to key psychiatric problems -- depression, anxiety, behavior disorders -- there are successful interventions and prevention programs,” study author William Copeland, an assistant clinical pro-

fessor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said in a Duke news release.

“So, we do have the tools to address these, but they aren’t implemented widely. The burden is then later seen in adulthood, when these problems become costly public health and social issues,” he added.

The findings show the need to treat mental health problems early.

But, only about 40 percent of children with diagnosed psychiatric disorders receive treatment, and the rate is even lower for those with milder mental health problems, according to Copeland.

“A big problem with mental health in the United States is that most children don’t get treatment and those who do don’t get what we would consider optimal care,” he said. “So the problems go on much longer than they need to and cost much more than they should in both money and damaged lives.”

(Source : NYT Sybdicate)

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... WOMEN HEALTH ...

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AM I PREGNANT ?

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EVERY WOMAN IS DIFFERENT. SO ARE HER EXPERIENCES OF PREGNANCY. NOT EVERY WOMAN HAS THE SAME SYMPTOMS OR EVEN THE SAME SYMPTOMS FROM ONE PREGNANCY TO THE NEXT.

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re you wondering if you might be pregnant? The only way to know for sure is by taking a pregnancy test.

But there are early symptoms of pregnancy that may point to the possibility.

Here’s what to look for.

Every woman is different. So are her experiences of pregnancy. Not every woman has the same symptoms or even the same symptoms from one pregnancy to the next.

Also, because the early symptoms of pregnancy are often like what happens right before and during menstruation, those symptoms aren’t always recognized.

What follows is a description of some of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. You should know that these symptoms may be caused by other things besides being pregnant. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to

tell for sure is with a pregnancy test.

A few days after conception, the fertilized egg attaches itself to wall of the uterus. This can cause one of the earliest signs of pregnancy -- spotting and, sometimes, cramping.

That’s called implantation bleeding. It occurs anywhere from six to 12 days after the egg is fertilized.

The cramps resemble menstrual cramps, so some women mistake them and the bleeding for the start of their period. The bleeding and cramps, however, are slight.

Besides bleeding, a woman may notice a white, milky discharge from her vagina.

That’s related to the thickening of the vagina’s walls, which starts almost immediately after conception. The increased growth of cells lining the vaginacauses the discharge.

This discharge, which can continue

throughout pregnancy, is typically harmless and doesn’t require treatment. But if there is a bad smell related to the discharge or a burning and itching sensation, tell your doctor so they can check on whether you have a yeast or bacterial infection.

Breast changes are another very early sign of pregnancy. A woman’s hormone levels rapidly change after conception. Because of the changes, her breastsmay become swollen, sore, or tingly a week or two later. Or they may feel heavier or fuller or feel tender to the touch. The area around the nipples, called the areola, may also darken.

Other things could cause breast changes. But if the changes are an early symptom of pregnancy, keep in mind that it is going to take several weeks to get used to the new levels of hormones. But when it does, breast pain should ease up.

Morning sickness is a famous symptom of pregnancy. But not every pregnant woman gets it.

The exact cause of morning sickness is not known but pregnancy hormones likely contribute to this symptom. Nausea during pregnancy may occur at any time of the day but most commonly in the morning.

Also, some women crave, or can’t stand, certain foods when they become pregnant.

That’s also related to hormonal changes.

The effect can be so strong that even the thought of what used to be a favorite food can turn a pregnant woman’sstomach.

It’s possible that the nausea, cravings, and food aversions can last for the entire pregnancy. Fortunately, the symptoms lessen for many women at about the 13th or 14th week of their pregnancy.

(Source : WebMD.com)

What is a high-risk pregnancy?

Y our pregnancy is called high-risk if you or your baby has an increased chance of a health problem. Many things can put you at high risk. Being called “high-risk” may sound scary. But it’s just a way for doctors to make sure that you get special attention during your pregnancy. Your doctor will watch you closely during your pregnancy to find any problems early.

The conditions listed below put you and your baby at a higher risk for problems, such as slowed growth for the baby, preterm labor, preeclampsia, and problems with the placenta. But it’s important to remember that being at high risk doesn’t mean that you or your baby will have problems.

Your health plan may have its own list of what makes a pregnancy high-risk. In general, your pregnancy may be high-risk if:

• You have a health problem, such as: • Diabetes.

• Cancer.

• High blood pressure.

• Kidney disease.

• Epilepsy.

• You use alcohol or illegal drugs, or you smoke.

• You are younger than 17 or older than 35.

• You are pregnant with more than one baby (multiple pregnancy).

• You have had three or more miscarriages.

• Your baby has been found to have a genetic condition, such as Down syndrome, or a heart, lung, or kidney problem.

• You had a problem in a past pregnancy, such as: • Preterm labor.

• Preeclampsia or seizures

(eclampsia).

Having a baby with a genetic problem, such as Down syndrome.

• You have an infection, such as HIV or hepatitis C. Other infections that can cause a problem include cytomegalovirus (CMV), chickenpox, rubella,toxoplasmosis, and syphilis.

• You are taking certain medicines, such as lithium, phenytoin (such as Dilantin),valproic acid (Depakene), or carbamazepine (such as Tegretol).

Other health problems can make your pregnancy high-risk.

These include heartvalve problems, sickle cell disease, asthma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Talk to your doctor about any health problems you have (Source : WebMD.com) •

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

... MEDICAL SCIENCE ...

GIVING DOCTORS GRADES

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ne summer day 14 years ago, when I was a new cardiology fellow, my colleagues and I were discussing the case of an elderly man with worsening chest pains who had been transferred to our hospital to have coronary bypass surgery. We studied the information in his file: On an angiogram, his coronary arteries looked like sausage links, sectioned off by tight blockages. He had diabetes, high blood pressure and poor kidney function, and in the past he had suffered a heart attack and a stroke. Could the surgeons safely operate?

In most cases, surgeons have to actually see a patient to determine whether the benefits of surgery outweigh the risks.

But in this case, a senior surgeon, on the basis of the file alone, said the patient was too “high risk.” The reason he gave was that state agencies monitoring surgical outcomes would penalize him for a bad result. He was referring to surgical “report cards,” a quality-improvement program that began in New York State in the early 1990s and has since spread to many other states.

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The purpose of these report cards was to improve cardiac surgery by tracking surgical outcomes, sharing the results with hospitals and the public, and when necessary, placing surgeons or surgical programs on probation. The idea was that surgeons who did not measure up to their colleagues would be forced to improve.

WHEN THE STATISTICS WERE PUBLICIZED, SOME TALENTED SURGEONS WITH HIGHER-THAN-EXPECTED MORTALITY STATISTICS LOST THEIR OPERATING PRIVILEGES, WHILE OTHERS, WHOSE RISK AVERSION HAD EARNED THEM LOWER-THAN-PREDICTED RATES, USED THE REPORT CARDS TO PROMOTE THEIR SERVICES IN ADVERTISEMENTS

But the report cards backfired. They often penalized surgeons, like the senior surgeon at my hospital, who were aggressive about treating very sick patients and thus incurred higher mortality rates. When the statistics were publicized, some talented surgeons with higher-than-expected mortality statistics lost their operating privileges, while others, whose risk aversion had earned them lower-than-predicted rates, used the report cards to promote their services in advertisements.

This was an insult that the senior surgeon at my hospital could no longer countenance. “The so-called best surgeons are only doing the most straightforward cases,” he said disdainfully.

Menopause, ‘Good’ Cholesterol and Heart Protection

H

DL cholesterol is commonly called the “good” cholesterol, but new research suggests that it could be harmful to women going through menopause.

The new study finds that rather than helping to inhibit the formation of dangerous plaque in the arteries, HDL cholesterol may increase its buildup during menopause. This process is known as hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, and can lead to heart trouble.

“This was surprising,” said lead researcher Samar El Khoudary, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh.

“We know that the good cholesterol is supposed to protect women,” she said. And, before menopause, good cholesterol does help protect against heart disease, El Khoudary said.

But during menopause, HDL cholesterol seems to add to the plaque buildup, she explained. “This was independent of other factors such asbody weight and levels of bad cholesterol,” El Khoudary said.

The results of the study were presented earlier this month at the North American Menopause Society annual meeting

in Las Vegas. Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

For the study, El Khoudary and colleagues followed 225 women in their middle and late 40s for up to nine years.

During that time, the women had the plaque in their arteries measured five times. All of the women were free of heart disease at the start of the study.

The researchers found that as the women went through menopause, increasing levels of good cholesterol were linked with greater plaque buildup. The findings suggest that the nature of HDL cholesterol may alter during menopause, making it ineffective in preventing plaque buildup, El Khoudary said.

It’s not clear why good cholesterol may turn bad, she said. “There are many biological changes that happen to women during the menopausal transition,” El Khoudary said.

Among these changes is the addition of fat to the abdomen and around the heart, she said. “This could put women in a state of chronicinflammation that could change the good cholesterol,” El Khoudary suggested. (source : WebMD.com)

(NTY Syndicate)

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... PAEDIATRICS & CHILD HEALTH ...

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OUR OBSESSION WITH TESTING KIDS PUTS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON CHILDREN,” SAYS MARIAN EARLS, MD, A DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICIAN IN NORTH CAROLINA.

W

hen Valaree Busse neared the end of eighth grade in St. Paul, NE, the school guidance counselor called her and the rest of her classmates in for something called “career cruising.” At ages 13 and 14, the kids were asked to plan all of their coursework for the next 4 years of high school.

“There’s a track for kids who don’t plan to attend college, one if you’re going to a 2-year college, and one if you’re going to a 4-year college,” says her mother, Janet. “They’re planning as entering freshmen for the end of their high school career. Valaree doesn’t know what she wants to do yet! A year ago, she was going to major in dance.

Now, she wants to go to vet school, but she’s not sure if she wants to be a vet tech or a veterinarian. But they’re telling them that if they don’t start planning now, as a freshman, they’re going

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10 REASONS YOUR CHILD MIGHT BE STRESSED to be behind.”

she’s doing 4 years from now.”

Valaree’s social life only added to the pressure. “When you see pictures on Facebook and Instagram of your friends all out with a bunch of other people and you’re not included, it’s painful,” her mother says. “Before all the social media, you didn’t see pictures of everything people were doing without you.”

A national WebMD survey found that parents rate school and friends as the biggest sources of stress in their kids’ lives. The survey also found that 72% of children have negative behaviors linked to stress, and 62% have physical symptoms linked to it, such as headaches and stomachaches.

All this brewed up a perfect storm of stress that left the once happygo-lucky Valaree frequently in tears.

“Once she cried almost nonstop for 3 days. She just said over and over, ‘I just feel so much pressure! I can’t be myself because I have to act mature.’

She won’t sleep at night because she’s worried about what someone will think of how she acted, and if it will wind up on Facebook. And she wants to be a kid, but she has to think about what

The survey comes at a time when the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America survey finds that high school students say they have stress levels that top those of adults.

Academic pressures and highstakes testing. “Our obsession with testing kids puts an enormous amount of pressure on children,” says Marian Earls, MD, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician in North Carolina.

“I’ve seen third-graders coming in for help because their parents are noticing

sleep problems, tearfulness, and reluctance to go to school because of all the hype on performance and testing.”

Over-stuffed schedules. “I would say the level of activity kids have today is nothing like it used to be,” says Todd Bentsen, a divorced father of two in Washington, DC. “I was not scheduled the way I have to schedule my kids. After-school care, sports activities, speech therapy -- I feel like I spend about half my time making sure everybody’s where they need to be when they need to be there, in reasonably good condition.”

Activities like sports or art or music should help relieve stress, not add to it.

“You have to understand your child and watch for their cues,” says Sandra Hassink, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. (source : WebMD.com)

Teach Kids Manners F

rom burping in public to not shaking hands, kids and good manners aren’t always a natural fit. With every nose pick it may seem like a losing battle, but there are ways to turn your little monsters into civilized human beings.

You can’t really preach manners. Kids will only hear, “Blah, blah, blah.” Instead, pepper your teaching with cool (and kind of weird) trivia about manners, suggests Peggy Post, a director of the Emily Post Institute and the author of more than a dozen books about etiquette. The stories will stick with them and help them remember to do what you’re advising.

Share Your Experience Let’s say you want your kids to make eye contact and firmly shake hands when they meet people. But why do we shake hands? “You put out your hand to show you’re not holding a weapon -- or at least that’s what they did in medieval times,” says Post.

And what about wanting kids to remove their ballcaps at the table? That polite practice also stems from the time of knights, who removed their helmets or lifted their visors at the table so people would know whether they were friend or foe. Talk of weapons and knights will keep kids intrigued enough to pay attention to your lessons about good manners. “Kids love those stories, and they don’t forget them,” says Post.

Kids (especially boys) adore body noises. If sounds aren’t coming out of their mouths, they’re coming out of their bottoms -- and that’s obviously not great manners in public. Children’s- and business-etiquette expert Patricia Tice, Ph.D., owner of Etiquette Iowa, doesn’t ignore the noises. Instead, she puts what she calls “bottom burps” and “upper burps” into song in order to teach kids how to handle them (source : WebMD.com)

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015