As parents, how much do we know about our child’s school health check-up each school year?

Our school is actively involved in promoting the health and well-being of students through a comprehensive health examination activity. Such initiatives play a crucial role in ensuring the overall development of students and identifying any potential health concerns early on. The health check was organized and arranged by the District Education Bureau and the Zhao Xiang Community Health Service Center in October.

The components of this health examination included: height, weight, and blood pressure measurements; an abdomen and bones (spine, limbs) check; ear, nose and throat (ENT) examinations; vision, oral cavity and throat examinations; a blood test; and others.

It’s not uncommon for parents to feel concerned or puzzled when they receive physical examination results for their children, especially if health issues like poor vision, obesity, or anemia are identified. The school can take proactive steps to help parents understand and address these concerns. Here’s a guide that the school medical teacher could follow during this educational session.

What is poor vision？

Children are in a critical period of eye development, and timely intervention is crucial, particularly for conditions like ‘lazy eye’ (amblyopia). Early detection and treatment significantly improve the chances of successful outcomes. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you take your child to a regular hospital for follow-up care as soon as possible.

It is crucial that we consider age-appropriate visual acuity standards when assessing a child’s eye health. Your provided information on the normal visual acuity standards for different age groups is informative and can help parents understand what to expect in terms of their child’s vision development. Here are some suggested standards that help to convey this information:

Age-appropriate Visual Acuity Standards:

7-year-old child and adults: Typically, the normal visual acuity standard for individuals aged 7 and above is at or just above 5.0;

6-year-old child: The normal naked eye visual acuity range is expected to be between 4.9 and 5.0;

5-year-old child: The normal naked eye visual acuity range is expected to be between 4.8 and 4.9;

4-year-old child: Normal naked eye visual acuity should fall between 4.6 and 4.8.

The “non-mydriatic computer optometry” result is communicated as follows: (ball mirror) a “+” result means far-sightedness, while a “-“ result represents myopia. The column mirror indicates the degree of astigmatism. Under normal circumstances, children are born with hyperopia; as the child’s age increases, the value gets smaller and smaller – at 9 years old, it reaches 0 degrees. If myopia occurs, the value becomes “-“, and the greater the negative value, the higher the degree of myopia.

Is your child “chubby”?

Chubby babies are very cute, but is being chubby healthy? Some parents might say: “My baby is strong, not fat!” Please note that there is a clear difference between being fit and being obese. The child obesity index is calculated using the body mass index (BMI), which is calculated as: BMI = weight (kg)/height (m)2.

What are the dangers of childhood obesity?

1. It affects the child’s height,

2. It may cause a child to enter puberty early,

3. Increased risk of disease,

4. Risk of psychological problems.

Obesity can be prevented by maintaining a reasonable diet, exercising, and developing good living habits.

Anemia

Red blood cells are the most abundant type of blood cells in the blood, and hemoglobin is a specific indicator of whether a child has anemia or not. Under normal circumstances, the hemoglobin level for a child should be between 110 and 160g/L.

What are the hazards of anemia in children?

1 Slow growth and development,

2. Low immune function,

3. Stunted brain development,

4. Lowering of the digestive barrier.

Anemia can be minimized or prevented through diet conditioning (eating animal products such as various red meats, liver, etc.) and dietary supplements.

Due to limited space, only some parts of the health examination explanation are shared here. We will update this space regularly, so please look forward to our next article!