Preventive Health check up for Children

Preventive health checkups are more popular in adults. Children usually undergo their routine check up with the schedule vaccination. However after birth the child ends up getting a check up after a gap of 5 years (due to the vaccination schedule), so there is missed opportunity to evaluate the health of the child during these crucial primary and secondary schooling years. Recently school guidelines have mandated that annual health check up should be done in all school going children. Moreover these records are to be maintained in the school infirmary so that appropriate action can be taken as soon as possible in an emergency.

Child Health Check up is important today:

With the advent of modern lifestyle our kids are also becoming increasingly susceptible to lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes and asthma. It is important that we initiate an annual preventive health check up in school going children so that these disease and other growth disorders are diagnosed early and corrective steps are taken in nascent stages only. It is seen that dental problems, visual problems and anemia are discovered during such routine check up.

Adolescents and teenagers are usually vary of seeking medical help or discussing their problems with their parents or teachers. Therefore this encounter with the doctor can be utilized to talk about injury prevention, mental health, sexual health, substance abuse as well as growth monitoring. Eating disorders, depression, sleeping disorders can be uncovered and addressed during such visits. Updated vaccinations are also done as per recent guidelines.

This whole exercise instills a habit in children to take their health seriously and brings in a lifelong change to stay healthy and fit. A healthy nation is a productive and happy nation.