Health Check-Ups for Parents Can Keep Children Healthy: Here’s Why

The focus of every parent is the welfare of their children. It is their goal to nurture their children in an environment conducive to healthy well-being. Indeed, one of the challenges of parenting is putting their children’s health at the forefront.

We learn a lot about children’s health online, on social media, in magazines, and in health books. Interestingly, we have overlooked the fact that, as parents, we also need to be healthy for our children.

In this post, we aim to enlighten you on the importance of keeping an eye on your health for the sake of our children. Stay on this page as we delve deep into why health check-ups by parents impact their children’s health. Keep reading!

Why is Children’s Health Important?

The challenge of parenting can never be understated. Our children demand special care and attention. Check out these facts.

Children have immune systems that aren’t fully developed. Hence, it isn’t surprising that they contract all sorts of illnesses at any time of the year. A high rate of school absenteeism is a reflection of the health conditions of our children 

One day, your child goes home from school with a low-grade fever. As an immediate resolution, you would self-medicate. Only to realize the next day that your child’s fever is a prelude to some serious underlying conditions.

What presents as a simple cough can result in long-term treatment of childhood asthma, or it could be tuberculosis. What could just be a common cold at the onset becomes pneumonia in a few days. A minor cut and bruise, or skin allergies, can become infected and cause serious immunity problems.

More often, we might just pass off these illnesses because we see them as normal for adults. We don’t give it much attention or serious thought. We would think that children can readily overcome their illnesses. We could become so busy with our other parenting responsibilities that we fail to set an appointment with their doctor.

Unluckily, these illnesses may take a heavy toll on any child. Hence, this situation calls for setting an appointment with their pediatrician or any health practitioner.

Conversely, one interesting fact is that parents need to stay alive and healthy to be able to provide the best healthcare for their children. Therefore, it is in this light that parents need to have routine health check-ups with their primary physician too.

Why Do Parents Need Regular Health Check-Ups?

Regular health check-ups by parents have tons of benefits for themselves, which can affect their children’s health. Here is a list of a few reasons:

1.   Parents Can Manage their Health Conditions

With routine health check-ups, parents can identify and manage their health conditions. These health conditions can be as simple as managing blood pressure and allergies or as serious as kidney or heart problems. Routine tests for cholesterol or glucose levels can identify risk factors that would otherwise remain unnoticed.

Routine tests and check-ups are preventive care that parents need to give time and attention to. Being aware of their health conditions can potentially impact their ability to care for their children.

It isn’t surprising that some adults dread going to the doctor. They have these subconscious fears that trace back to their tender ages. However, to be “responsible adults”, we have to take responsibility for facing our fears. Every parent takes this as a challenge for the sake of their children’s health.

2.   Potential Health Risks are Detected Early

Regular health check-ups help identify the likelihood of health risks and prevent the development of chronic diseases. Doctors can detect and treat any diseases that have gotten the best of you. Screening tests are scheduled to closely monitor you to identify diseases that may be present in the early stages.

3.   Genetic Illnesses Get Managed

With regular health check-ups, parents will know if their health condition can be genetically transmitted to their children. In effect, the children’s health will be managed early on before serious problems arise.

Your child might experience an illness or disorder that can be attributed to genetics. It is recommended that the parents undergo a health check-up first to establish their illness before managing the illness of the child.

Eye check-ups are equally important since some eye disorders are genetic. Vision checks are recommended every two years for individuals who have no diabetes. If parents notice their children have vision problems, especially during their formative years, it is recommended that parents visit their eye doctor.

4.   Parents Get Immunization Updates 

With regular health check-ups, parents stay updated about available immunizations, which can protect themselves and their children, too.

5.   Parents Can Discuss Their Children’s Health

Regular health check-ups allow parents to discuss their children’s health and well-being, particularly those that affect their growth and development. In this way, potential issues will be detected early on, and if intervention is needed,

6.   Parents Get Professional Guidance

Regular health check-ups guide parents’ decisions about their children’s health and development. Medical practitioners provide information on proper nutrition, prevention of illness, adequate physical activities, and other health and safety concerns.

With proper guidance and information, parents can make informed decisions about their children’s well-being and development. Well-child visits can be scheduled appropriately.

7.   Improved Overall Health

Regular health check-ups help parents maintain good health and prevent the development of chronic diseases. Doctors recommend dietary or lifestyle changes to help parents live a healthier lifestyle.

8.   Reduced Healthcare Costs

Regular health check-ups are preventive care. By taking preventive measures, you reduce healthcare costs in the long haul. Costly medical services are avoided, including hospital admissions and ER visits.

9.   Parents are Role Models

Parents who make their health their priority will likely imbibe healthy habits in their children. Parents are role models for their children. By practicing healthy behavior, the children will readily follow, including good eating habits, regular physical activity, proper hygiene, and getting quality sleep.

Also, it’s recommended that dental visits be done every six months. Dental visits include routine prophylaxis for both adults and children. If parents give importance to dental health and hygiene, it won’t take time for the children to get into this mindset.

10.  Peace of Mind

Regular health checkups provide peace of mind for parents, knowing that they’re taking the necessary steps to maintain good health and prevent potential health risks. They practice healthy habits and lifestyles, which puts them in a good position to take care of their children’s health too.

Are Adult Health Check-Ups Worth It?

“Do routine health check-ups ever end?” Well, no. They end when life ends. Conversely, you would continue putting gas in your car and doing maintenance checks while you have the car—that is if you want your car to run well.

As a parent, your health is equally important as your child’s. Engaged parents never miss their child’s dental appointment and routine physical examination, yet many fail to schedule their health check-ups themselves.

Preventive healthcare doesn’t end with parenting or planning a healthy pregnancy. We need to monitor our health throughout our lives. Despite passing on those great genes with fantastic immunity and a rockstar health profile, all the work isn’t done yet. 

Nature needs nurture, and as products of nature, we have the moral responsibility, both to ourselves and to society, to ensure that we tap into the vast medical knowledge and get checked out periodically.

Does Parents’ Stress Affect Child Health?

A common theme at many doctor’s visits is the challenges of parenting while earning a living. This can be very stressful, and unless the adult addresses it either with their provider or with the child’s provider, it may lead to serious consequences for the family.

Day-to-day stress is very common and becoming prevalent, especially among young families that are economically challenged. Managing daily stress, coupled with the added responsibility of childrearing, could be a stiff and tough task for parents who do not have the right support system.

According to Dr. Walton of biopsychology and neuroscience, there’s interesting evidence that suggests that a parent’s stress level can affect the child’s disposition, such as the risk of mood disorders, addiction, and cases of ADHD and autism.

Indeed, the parent’s stress level is mirrored in the child, which significantly impacts his behavior and ultimately affects his growth and development. Based on this premise, parents need professional help to cope with and manage their stress levels so that it does not affect their children.

For Parents, Your Health is Important as Your Child’s

Our kids are our future. From a macro perspective, the key to nation-building is a healthy young generation. This may be formidable, but it should not sound daunting. One way to achieve this goal is to maintain a healthy environment and well-being as our children grow up.

Regular health check-ups by parents beget healthy children. Children are sponges, after all. They absorb their parents’ overall disposition, including their health condition. Your child needs you to be as healthy as you can be to be able to properly take care of them.

We at Omega Pediatrics hope this post will be helpful and insightful for you and your family. Share it with your co-parent friends who might need to visit their healthcare provider because you care about them.

We look forward to sharing with you our upcoming posts on related topics.

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