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6A TOjc Heraltr <©a?tttt Tuesday, August 17,2021
CHILDREN AND HEALTH
Children are not
invulnerable to stroke
Though it’s predomi
nantly associated with
adults, stroke does not
discriminate based on
age and can potentially
affect children. The
American Stroke Associa
tion® notes that, while
stroke is most com
mon among the elderly,
strokes also occur in tod
dlers, children and teen
agers. According to the
ASA, signs of stroke are
often missed in children
and teens because of a
general lack of awareness
that stroke can affect
them. That’s in spite of
the fact that stroke is
among the top 10 causes
of death in children in
the United States.
Learning to spot a
stroke is vital for people
of all ages, and parents
of young children are no
exception. The ASA has
developed the acronym
“F.A.S.T.” to help people
remember the signs of
stroke.
• F = Face drooping
• A = Arm weakness
• S = Speech difficulty
• T = Time to call 911
(the ASA advises any
one who recognizes any
of the aforementioned
symptoms in toddlers,
children and teens to call
911 immediately)
Because many people
are unaware that young
children can suffer from
stroke, it can be easy to
assume symptoms of
stroke are indicative of
something else. But the
ASA urges parents to rec
ognize some additional
warning signs of stroke in
children, including:
• Sudden severe head
ache: These are espe
cially concerning when
accompanied by vomit
ing and sleepiness.
• Sudden numbness or
weakness on one side of
the body: Affected areas
may include the face,
arm and/or leg on the left
or right side of the body.
• Sudden confusion,
difficulty speaking or
understanding others.
• Sudden trouble see
ing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden difficulty
with motor functions:
Children may have trou
ble walking, suddenly
feel dizzy, and/or experi
ence a loss of balance or
coordination.
• New onset of sei
zures, typically on one
side of the body:
Blood clots that form
in the heart and travel to
the brain are one poten
tial cause of ischemic
stroke in children. These
issues may be a result of
congenital heart prob
lems, so it’s vital that
parents of children born
with such issues recog
nize the potential for
their children to suffer
strokes. In addition, the
ASA notes that roughly
10 percent of children
with sickle cell disease,
which adversely affects
the ability of blood cells
to carry oxygen to the
brain, suffer ischemic
stroke. Children also may
be vulnerable to hemor
rhagic strokes, which
are most often caused
by rupturing, weakened
or malformed arteries
known as arteriovenous
malformations. Hemor
rhagic stroke risk is also
higher among children
who have hemophilia.
Though Johns Hopkins
Medicine reports that
pediatric stroke is a rela
tively rare condition, it’s
one that parents should
be aware of. That’s es
pecially true for parents
of children born with
certain conditions. More
information is available
at www.stroke.org.
Georgia Department of Public Health
District 4 Public Health
LAMAR COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Lamar County Health Department
100 Academy Drive
Barneville, GA 30204
Phone (770)358-1483
Make your appointment today!
Clinic: 1(800)847-4262 /(706)845-4035
WIC: 1(866)636-7942 / (706)298-6080
Hours
Monday - Friday
8:00a.m.- 5:00p.m.
We Protect Lives.
www.district4health.org SftfSH
fit District4Health
0 D4publichealth
Serving: Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette,
Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike,
Spalding, Troup and Upson Counties.
VI
How volunteering
benefits students
Nine signs your child is
having vision problems
Volunteering is often
seen through the lens of
how volunteers help to
improve their communi
ties. Though there’s no
denying the valuable
role volunteers play
in strengthening their
communities, it’s worth
noting just how much
volunteers can benefit
from donating their time
and effort to worthy
causes.
A 2020 study pub
lished in the Journal of
Happiness asked 70,000
participants about their
volunteering habits and
mental health. The study
found that,
when compared
to those who
did not volun
teer, people who
had volunteered
in the previous
12 months were
more satisfied
with their lives
and gave their
overall health
higher ratings.
Volunteer
ing can ben
efit anyone, and can be
especially valuable to
students, benefitting
their overall health and
helping in myriad other
ways as well.
• Volunteering can get
a foot in the door. The
National Association of
Colleges and Employers
reports that employers
expect to hire 7.2 percent
more new college gradu
ates from the class of
2021 than they did from
the class of 2020. That’s
encouraging news, but
recent graduates will still
face stiff competition as
they look for their first
job. Volunteering with
an organization in their
field can be a great way
for current students and
recent graduates to get
their foot in the door.
Even if a volunteering op
portunity does not ulti
mately lead to a job offer,
the experience students
gain can help them stand
out in a crowded pool of
job applicants down the
road.
• Volunteering can
help students find a ca
reer path. A 2017 report
from the U.S. Depart
ment of Education found
that about 30 percent of
undergraduates in as
sociate’s and bachelor’s
degree programs who
had declared majors
changed their majors at
least once within three
years of their initial
enrollment. The same
report noted that roughly
one in 10 changed majors
more than once. Those
statistics suggest that
many students are un
certain about what they
want to study at
the onset of their
college careers.
Volunteering be
fore and during
college can help
students explore
their interests
and see where
their skills are
applicable. They
can then rely on
that experience
as they choose a
major.
• Volunteering ex
pands students’ social
horizons. Volunteers
serve and work alongside
people from a variety of
socio-economic back
grounds. That’s a great
way to see the world
through a new perspec
tive, and it also can posi
tively affect students’
eventual careers. Profes
sionals who have worked
with people of various
backgrounds are in bet
ter position to effectively
communicate with a
wider array of people,
which can help them
build a more diverse set
of business relationships.
Organizations recognize
that value and often pri
oritize hiring candidates
with the kind of strong
interpersonal skills stu
dents develop through
volunteering.
Volunteering can be a
great way for students to
develop an array of skills
that can benefit their per
sonal and professional
lives for years to come.
As many a parent
can attest, decoding a
youngster’s needs can
be challenging when that
child is not yet able to
fully communicate. Diag
nosing health issues may
require a little trial and
error. So it’s no wonder
many parents are not
aware if their children
are having issues with
vision.
Routine wellness
exams by your child’s
physician can help to
determine if
a child is hav
ing problems
with his or
her vision.
Doctors may
detect subtle
ties that parents may not
see, including signs that
suggest kids are having
trouble with their vision.
The American Opto-
metric Association rec
ommends vision exams
at age six months, three
years and before entering
first grade, as well as ev
ery two years thereafter
until age 18. Initial vision
assessments typically
take place in a pediatri
cian’s office. Parents can
speak with their chil
dren’s pediatrician and
ask if he or she can look
for signs of vision trouble
in their sons or daugh
ters. Some pediatricians
may recommend children
visit an optometrist or
ophthalmologist.
In addition to speaking
with their children’s pe
diatricians, parents can
keep an eye out for the
Being overweight
or obese is a serious
medical condition that
can affect people of all
ages. Carrying around
too many
pounds can
be especially
problematic
for children
because it may
put them on
the path to
health prob
lems that once
generally only
affected adults. Such
issues include diabetes,
high blood pressure and
high cholesterol. The
Mayo Clinic advises that
childhood obesity can
following warning signs
children may exhibit
when they’re experienc
ing vision disorders.
• Squinting, which can
be a sign of compensat
ing for poor vision.
• Sitting too close to
the television or holding
a tablet screen close to
the face.
• Covering or shutting
one eye.
• Rubbing eyes due
to visual fatigue and not
general fatigue.
• Pulling
toys or other
objects closer.
• Head
tilting, which
could be a sig
nal that vision
may be better in one eye
than the other.
• Inability to make
steady eye contact or
track an object in an
infant older than three
months of age.
• Crossed or mis
aligned eyes after age
four months.
• Children who are
easily distracted in learn
ing situations or have dif
ficulty paying attention
may be losing interest
due to trouble with their
vision.
A proactive approach
to eye health by par
ents when children are
young can help correct
problems early on and
ensure children can see
and function successfully
through the years. Early
treatment can lead to ma
jor, long-term improve
ments in vision.
contribute to poor self
esteem and depression.
Fortunately, improving
kids’ eating habits, such
as ensuring kids eat
nutrient-dense,
low-calorie
foods, and in
creasing physi
cal activity are
two ways to
help kids main
tain healthy
weights.
Parents who
have concerns about
their children’s weight
should consult with a
pediatrician, who may
recommend a body mass
index test.
Volunteering
can be a great
way for stu
dents to devel
op an array of
skills that can
benefit their
personal and
professional
lives for years
to come.
Obesity...did you know?
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