Bringing you what's new in teen health from a pediatrician, parent, and globetrotter…
Jazmin Campbell is a 17-years-old student starting her senior year of high school in Austin, Texas and active on her local youth advisory council. She writes this month about seeing the positive in school closures and lockdowns and the power of pets (in her case a rabbit called Cinnabon) for helping teens get through. Here is her piece:
We have been hearing a lot about the importance of keeping vitamin D levels up to prevent severe Covid-19 infections. Most teens don’t need extra Vitamin D supplements. However, as stated in this piece, at least 15 minutes of sun exposure a few times per week, eating fortified foods like dairy products, and taking a good multi vitamin with 600 IU’s of Vitamin D can help. How do we help keep young people motivated till the end of the school year? Top tips according to this blog in Commonsense media include praising effort, establishing accountability, creating incentives, and adjusting expectations. Worried about kids returning to school and the recent spate of Kawasaki like (MIS) disease? Here’s more information, but remember we still need to encourage teens to follow social distancing and minimize contacts with large groups and keep gatherings outdoors, if possible. What should we consider as we transition back to a new normal? Don’t forget to teach teens basic skills such as doing the laundry and providing first aid. Finally, what are novel ways to detect Covid-19? Researchers are looking into sniffing dogs in the UK and voice analysis in Israel!
Teens are taking the time do some amazing work around the world. This month we feature a COVID-19 checklist for teens created by high school students Emma DeJong (Hong Kong) and Jacob Chen (USA) and and a website called But We Digress by Arjun Sahney in (Hong Kong). Bravo!
If you are a young person working on something innovative right now, please send it to teens@dranishaabraham.com and I’ll be happy to feature it in an upcoming newsletter.
We all hear about how important routines and schedules are for working from home and online schooling. However, many of us are having a hard time getting routines to stick. What happens if you cannot get your kid to shift into study mode or stick to a plan? Here are a few strategies to ensure home learning goes well.
The Covid-Crisis is not just a challenge, but also an opportunity to start fresh by reshaping our society, our ambitions and our relationships. While many parents have felt overwhelmed these past few weeks and young people isolated from peers, author Arundhati Roy reminds us that pandemics are also an opportunity for renewal: “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine the world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway, between one world and the next.” What positive strategies can we put into place now to ensure a healthier tomorow? “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine the world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway, between one world and the next.” What positive strategies can we put into place now to ensure a healthier tommorow?
We can’t always control our environment, but by eating nutritious foods, incorporating mindful breathing practices and building good sleep habits into family routine, we can strengthen our immunity plus build long-term health benefits. This month, I will focus on how to improve immunity through eating well.
I have been getting lots of questions from parents and caregivers about how to help tweens and teens handle online schooling, social distancing or exam cancellations. Based on my conversations with teens and parents around the globe, I have put together some top tips (and a very simple way to remember them). Recall that old Aretha Franklin song? When it comes to COVID-19 and young people, let’s have a little RESPECT: Routines-maintain it, Expectations-lower them, Strengths-build them, Positive Behavior-model it, Engagement-encourage it, Cheers (or praise)-give it and Technology-embrace it.
