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Medical Author:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Physical Activity Keeps Kids Healthy

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, PhD

Pediatric experts agree that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can help keep kids healthy. In 2005, a 13-member panel of pediatric experts issued a strong recommendation that school-age children engage in a minimum of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, which is now the official recommendation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These agencies recommend that all children 2 years of age and older should get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exerciseon most, preferably all, days of the week.

This "moderate-to-vigorous" level of physical activity can be achieved by brisk walking, jumping rope, or playing basketball, soccer, or other sports.

Pediatric experts note that while children take in essentially the same number of calories as always, their amount of physical activity is drastically lower than that of children 10 to 20 years ago. The technology revolution has lead to an increase in the number of popular activities for children (such as video gaming and computer use) that do not require physical effort.

To arrive at these recommendations, members of the expert pediatric panel reviewed thousands of published research reports that examined the relationship of physical activity to children's mental and physical health.

Theoretically, 60 minutes of physical activity could be achieved by participation in school activities through a combination of daily physical-education classes, after-school sports programs, and recess activities. Unfortunately, physical education is not taken seriously by many schools or is allowed to slide when a student experiences academic difficulties.

Learn how to promote physical fitness in your children »

Introduction

Children's health, or pediatrics, focuses on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. It is vitally concerned with all aspects of children's growth and development and with the unique opportunity that each child has to achieve their full potential as a healthy adult.

Children's health was once a part of adult medicine. It emerged in the 19th and early 20th century as a medical specialty because of the gradual awareness that the health problems of children are different from those of grown-ups. It was also recognized that a child's response to illness, medications, and the environment depends upon the age of the child.

There are many aspects to children's health. Any organization of these aspects of child health is necessarily arbitrary. For example, the topics could be presented in alphabetical order. However, it seems most logical to start at the beginning -- with the factors that determine a child's healthy growth and development.

Growth and development

A healthy child's development actually begins before conception with the parents' health and their genetic legacy. It continues on to conception and through the prenatal period. During this time, there is naturally considerable overlap between pediatric concerns for the fetus and obstetrical concerns for the mother.

Once the baby is delivered, there are new and important matters to ponder, such as breastfeeding, newborn screening tests and sleeping safety. All too soon, there are health care appointments to be kept, for example, for well-baby checkups and immunizations. These are followed by other challenges, such as when to introduce solid foods and to start toilet training and when to see the dentist.

The field of pediatrics recognizes classic stages in growth and development, but these are artificial since a child's growth and development constitute a continuum. A baby changes at an astonishing rate during the newborn period and early infancy. Before you know it, the baby becomes a toddler, next a child and, after a little more than a decade, is already a teen. It is a busy, challenging period.

Children's illnesses

Unfortunately, even the healthiest baby can get sick. It is worth knowing the signs and symptoms of the common childhood illnesses as well as the treatment and prevention of these illnesses. There are a number of common childhood conditions such as ear infections and even tonsillitis, which may be unavoidable. But children are also subject to other preventable diseases such as the serious infectious diseases prevented by immunizations, and dental caries (tooth decay) which can be prevented by ongoing oral care and fluoride treatments.

Children may be born with health problems. For example, a cleft lip or palate is evident at birth. But some equally common birth defects, such as some heart malformations, may not be immediately apparent. Birth defects of all kinds are a consequential concern for children and their parents. It is estimated that between 2%-3% of all children are born with birth defects.