Tag Archives: teens

Gun safety

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 44 million homes in the U.S. have at least one gun. In this season when your youngster may be visiting in homes of friends and relatives, or even spying for hidden stashes of gifts, it’s a good time to review gun safety.

If you own a gun, it needs to be unobtainable for a young person, not just out of sight. Children, even the very young, have an incredible knack for finding hidden things. A three-year-old, for example, found a gun hidden between his parents’ mattress and box springs. Guns should be unloaded and locked away in a cabinet for that purpose (preferably one that doesn’t have a glass or other see-through door). Ammunition should be kept in a separate, also locked, location.
Talk. Tell your children about the dangers of guns. Be clear about rules and firm about what privileges will be taken away if they break those rules.
Ask. If your child or teen is going to someone else’s home, ask whether or not that home has guns and, if so, how they are stored.
Don’t assume. Children are inquisitive; teens want to fit in. If they see a gun, no matter how well they know your rules, they are likely to want to touch it and play with it.
Also, don’t assume that your child would never choose to be violent toward herself or that he would never choose to harm others. Young people, no matter how good the parenting and how delightful the child, often make bad judgments, especially in the heat of a moment. In addition, mental illnesses such as depression can surface at nearly any age.
Some more statistics from the AAP: A gun kept in the home triples the risk of homicide. The risk of suicide is 5 times more likely if a gun is kept in the home.

For more information from the AAP, check out this link or this video.

Remember, safety is a huge part of staying healthy.

artwork by Corinne

Our own dietician on staff!

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Did you know that Georgetown Pediatrics has our very own dietician? Amy Crist has been with us for about 9 months and is available by appointment through our office.

Working part-time for us, Amy is a registered dietician (RD) with a master’s degree, has also worked at Georgetown Community hospital, and makes her home right here in Georgetown.

Amy loves working with infants, children, adolescents and their parents in developing healthy eating habits, including those who have dietary restrictions. She is a frequent speaker at local elementary schools to teach children about healthy eating and nutrition. She’s even led a support group on breast feeding. She is happy to have an appointment with you and your child or teen to discuss:

breast feeding,
dietary restrictions and planning as a result of disease or condition (diabetes, drug therapies, etc.),
concerns about weight or eating disorders,
helping the whole family develop healthy eating habits,
diet and sports,
picky eaters,
and anything else you want to talk over with a dietician.

Call our office and set up an appointment soon!

Amy Crist, our dietician

Calcium for teens

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You might think that once your son or daughter hits older childhood and puberty, the need for calcium drops.

Actually, the opposite is true. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) increases to 1300 mg of calcium for children and teens aged 9-18. Essential bone growth and development are continuing in these years, and it’s important to lay a strong foundation with calcium. Calcium in the teen years can help stave off osteoporosis in later life. Unfortunately, many adolescents, especially girls, don’t receive enough calcium to meet the RDA.

Another important note: our bones stop absorbing calcium in our early 20s, so you are “banking” the calcium you take as a teen for later years. That doesn’t mean you no longer need calcium after your teenage years, but it does highlight the importance of getting the right amount of calcium while the bones are still absorbing it.

What are good sources of calcium? There are two: food and supplements.

Milk and milk products are the best food source, with skim milk providing all 1300 mg in 4 ½ eight ounce glasses per day. Not everyone likes milk, and some can’t drink it because of lactose intolerance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics lists these other food sources for calcium:

“Most foods in the milk group: milk and dishes made with milk, such as puddings and soups.
Cheeses: mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, cottage cheese.
Yogurt.
Canned fish with soft bones, including sardines, anchovies, salmon.
Dark-green leafy vegetables, such as kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok-choy.
Tofu, if processed with calcium sulfate.
Tortillas made from lime-processed corn.
Calcium-fortified juice, bread, cereal.”

Supplements are a good option, but be sure that any calcium supplement also contains vitamin D which aids in calcium absorption. A daily multivitamin does NOT provide enough calcium to meet the RDA. Don’t take all the supplements at once. It’s best to take part of the supplement in the morning and part later in the day. Check with your pediatrician for additional recommendations.

As you teach your teens to build strong life skills, don’t forget to help them build strong bones as well.

artwork by Audrey

HPV vaccine: the who, what, when, and why

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You’ve heard of HPV (Human Papillomavirus), but you may not be sure what it is or what (if anything) you should do about preventing it in your children and teens.

[Most of the information that follows is adapted from the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (see here at CDC).]

THE WHAT: HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI), and there are more than 40 types of HPV. It’s unrelated to HIV, herpes, or any other STI. HPV can cause genital warts, cervical and other types of cancer.

There are two types of vaccine. Cervarix is for females only, and protects against cervical cancers. The other, Gardasil, is for both males and females, and protects against genital warts as well as cancers of the cervix, anus, and vulva. As of 2012, over 46 million doses had been distributed in the US (most of them Gardasil). The vaccine is considered to be very safe and highly effective.

THE WHO AND THE WHEN: Both males and females can contract HPV, from genital contact or from oral or genital sex. It’s recommended that preteens (ages 11-12) of both sexes receive the series of three doses so that they can develop an immune response before they become sexually active. Gardasil is considered effective in teenagers and young adults through the age of 26.

THE WHY: Since a person can contract HPV even if he/she only has one sex partner, and since someone can have HPV for years without symptoms and therefore not even know that she or he has the virus, parents should consider whether this vaccine is right for their preteen or teen. The very good news is this: studies indicate that the vaccine is highly effective: the HPV rate of transmission in adolescents is declining faster than expected.

Ask your pediatrician about this. That’s why we’re here.

artwork by Camille

Print this blog for your teenager to read

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Texting while driving (TWD)—are you ready for this statistic?—increases by 23 times the risk of an accident.

Even if you think you or your friends would never text behind the wheel, a new article in Contemporary Pediatrics indicates that nearly half of teens do so. Not only that, people who text behind the wheel are also more likely to drink and drive, ride with someone who’s been drinking, or not use a seat belt.

What to do about it?

Teens and parents should talk about this together. Starting the conversation before driving age is best, but it’s never too late.
Make a contract. Parents and teenagers can agree NOT to TWD, drive under the influence, or ride with someone who participates in dangerous behavior. Here is a sample of such a contract.
Eliminate the temptation. Put the phone in the back seat. If you’re expecting an important text and hear the notification, pull over at a parking lot to retrieve it.

One more issue: what do you say to a driver who’s texting? You can always give the excuse, “My parents will ground me forever if I’m riding with a texting driver. Do you mind waiting?” Or, “Hand me your phone and I’ll send a reply saying you’re driving and will get back to them soon.” If nothing works, don’t ride with that person in the future, or get your parents to come pick you up. They’d much rather be inconvenienced for an hour than leave you in a dangerous situation.

Bottom line: Don’t text and drive. It can wait.

Artwork by Wyn, age 13