The start of the new school year is usually associated with preparing school bags, adjusting daily routines, planning extracurricular activities, and returning to the usual daily routine. However, this is also a good time to focus on children’s health and remember the importance of preventive care.
Prevention means taking care of a child’s health on a daily basis, rather than waiting until health problems arise. It involves both healthy habits within the family and knowledge about what helps a child grow up healthy.
Līga Berķe, a paediatrician and pediatric pulmonologist at Labusiņa, focuses particularly on four essential cornerstones of children’s health during her consultations: sleep, physical activity, nutrition, and psycho-emotional well-being. By addressing these 4 fundamental aspects, it is often possible not only to improve a child’s well-being but also to reduce the risk of various health problems developing in the future.
Prevention starts with awareness
Health education for children is also an important part of prevention. Parents need the knowledge to understand how their child is feeling, assess symptoms, and make informed decisions about when to seek a specialist’s advice.
In her daily practice, Līga Berķe often talks to families about coughing in children, including what can cause it, when treatment is needed, and when it may resolve without specific treatment. Parents often have questions about why their child is coughing, how long a cough can last, and when it is important to see a doctor.
Sometimes, by establishing a child’s daily routine and understanding the causes of symptoms, it is possible to resolve the problem without additional treatment. That’s why a doctor’s consultation is not only an opportunity to receive medical care, but also to gain knowledge that the family can apply in their daily lives.
Children’s Health and the Importance of the Family Environment
Children’s health is closely linked not only to their physical well-being but also to the environment in which they grow up. Secure family relationships, emotional support, and everyday experiences have a significant impact on a child’s development and well-being.
Līga Berķe emphasises that health must be viewed in a broader context- namely, as a combination of physical, mental, and social well-being. Therefore, it is not only a healthy diet or sufficient physical activity that is essential, but also whether a child feels heard, understood, and supported within the family.
A safe and supportive family environment provides the conditions necessary for a child to grow up healthy and develop to their full potential.
Health Care and Knowledge Closer to Home
In Latvia’s regions, families do not always have equal opportunities to see the necessary specialist promptly. That is precisely why the Care Mobile’s work is significant not only in terms of access to healthcare, but also in the context of prevention and health education.
Children’s health is at the heart of the Care Mobile’s work. By travelling to various locations throughout Latvia, the organisation helps children receive consultations from specialists closer to home, while parents can get answers and recommendations on how to proceed.
As the new school year begins, we encourage families to remember that caring for a child’s health starts with everyday life. Adequate sleep, physical activity, a balanced diet, emotional security, and paying timely attention to a child’s well-being are the foundation upon which healthy habits are built for the future.
Learn more about the Care Mobile program: bernuveselibasbusins.lv
