The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the percentage of children—in the age range of 5–11 years—who are in good health stands at 85.3 percent. While this may seem like good news, the glaring implication is that almost 15 percent of the child population isn’t in good health.
Maintaining the health of their children is the responsibility of their guardians or caretakers. This responsibility entails educating them about everything there is to know about hygiene, diseases, and health in general.
The United Nations Children’s Fund reports that, in the United States, 100 percent of the population has access to basic sanitation services and 99 percent use piped water. However, this has not ensured the eradication of diseases among them.
Teaching children about the importance of cleanliness including practicing good hygiene like washing their hands, showering and wearing clean clothes in their formative years goes a long way to keeping them healthy.
The CDC reports a number of hygiene-related diseases—including ear infections, chronic diarrhea, dental caries, scabies, head and body lice, and athlete’s foot—that can be prevented with appropriate hygiene techniques.
Younger children are more likely to put strange items in their mouths and spend time outside the house. Thus, it’s important to sit them down and explain the health implications to them in a way that they’ll understand.
The sooner you teach children and adolescents about the various ailments that affect people around them, the better. Chronic absenteeism from school results in over 7 million children missing more than 15 days of the academic year. The leading core cause of alarmingly high absence rates revolves around poor health. Since children have a greater vulnerability to disease, it’s crucial to teach them how they can protect themselves.
Teaching your children about health and hygiene protects them against a host of illnesses and diseases. It’s better for their physical health since they know what they must and must not do to stay healthy. Plus, it makes them more empathetic to the health struggles they see in people around them.
When you need medical assistance, turn to Houston Physicians Hospital. The expert physicians in our Houston hospitals are trained in diagnosing, treating, and managing a range of conditions and disorders. Whether you visit our Ear, Nose, and Throat physicians or you need our emergency services, our team strives for exceptional care that makes a difference.
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