Summer Break - Tips For A Healthy Summer: A Guide for Parents of Young Teens
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Summer is a time for outdoor fun. It also is a time for potential health risks, including sunburn, insect bites, injuries and seasonal illnesses. “Summer Break – What’s at Stake?” was created to address the top summer health concerns parents of young adolescents and teens identified in a survey supported by PTA and funded by GlaxoSmithKline.
The recent survey reveals that one in four parents are extremely or very concerned about their young teen’s health during the summer break. In addition, ninety-two percent of parents plan to maintain open communication with their children to ensure that they have a safe summer. The following tips address these concerns for an active, healthy and happy summer break.
Thirty-five percent of parents cite heat exhaustion as their top summer health concern and 75 percent will insist that their young teen wear sunscreen. Warm weather means more time for outdoor activities. Protect your young teen from sunburn which can contribute to skin cancer and damage in the future.
What you can do to minimize the risk:
- Limit sun exposure when possible, particularly during peak hours of 10 AM to 4 PM.
- When your child is going to be in the sun, provide a water-resistant or waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to be applied liberally, uniformly and thickly to all exposed skin surfaces. - Don’t forget to protect lips, ears and toes!
- Remind your young teen to apply sunscreen and lip protection 30 minutes to two hours prior to sun exposure, depending on the product’s instructions, and to reapply every one to two hours and after swimming or heavy perspiration.
- Pay attention to expiration dates and discard outdated sunscreens.
- Encourage your child to wear light-weight, light colored, loose-fitting clothing and a hat, particularly on hot and humid days.
- Provide a portable, durable water bottle or sports beverage. Remind your young teen to drink before feeling thirsty and throughout the day.
Half of parents agree that their young teen spends too much time watching TV or playing video games.
As a parent, you have an important role in shaping your child's physical activity attitudes and behaviors. It is important to encourage young teens to be active in physical activities that interest them.
What you can do to encourage physical fitness:
- Set a positive example by limiting your own daily TV viewing, aiming to exercise every day, making healthy food choices and encouraging your child to do the same.
- Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use and Internet safety. Remember to monitor your child's compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your child spends on the computer.
- Help your child choose an activity - any activity - such as walking, basketball, or bike riding, and encourage one hour of exercise per day.
- Consider registering your child for an organized summer sports league or active day camp.
- Purchase a pedometer for your young teen to count steps throughout the day, aiming for 11,000 daily steps for girls (ages 6 to 17) and 13,000 daily steps for boys (ages 6 to 17).
Only one in five parents are extremely or very concerned that their child will be exposed to infectious diseases during summer activities, such as camp or babysitting younger children.
Preteens and young teens may be exposed to various infectious diseases during summertime activities, yet only three in 10 parents planned to take their teen to the doctor before kicking off summer activities.
Pertussis, in particular, is a health risk since childhood immunization begins to wear off five to 10 years after the last routine vaccination shot, which is typically administered when children are between four and six years old. This may leave preteens and young teens vulnerable to this highly contagious bacterial infection.
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, may be mistaken for a cold at first, but then progresses to more severe coughing episodes, which can last an average of 106 days. Whooping cough may also lead to trouble sleeping, vomiting, pneumonia and missed activities for kids. This disease can be prevented and an Advisory Committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends universal booster vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis for preteens and teens.
What you can do to prepare your teen for a healthy summer:
- Take your young teen to his or her doctor for a summer health visit.
- Ask your child's doctor if he or she should get the booster vaccination against whooping cough and other infectious diseases.
- Remember that infectious diseases, like whooping cough, often go undiagnosed, so children and young teens may unknowingly spread the diseases to other family members and friends.
Only 22 percent of parents are extremely or very concerned that their child will swim at a pool or beach that is not attended by a lifeguard.
Drowning is the second-leading cause of injury-related death for children up to 14 years of age and is often preventable.
What you can do to promote water safety:
- Never leave children or young teens unattended by water and always secure home pools.
- Make sure your young teen always wears a life jacket while boating. When properly fitted, a life jacket can prevent a tragedy.
- Teach your young teen to signal for help if unable to swim out of a strong ocean current. Wave one or both hands in the air, and scream or call for help.
- Teach your young teen to swim and to recognize his or her ability and limits.
- Require that your young teen swim using a buddy system and never swim without a lifeguard or adult nearby.
- Learn CPR.
- If you take your young teen's friend swimming, remember that he or she may not swim at the same level as your child and assess their ability.
- Remind your young teen only to dive into known safe areas, such as the deep section of a supervised pool.
Forty-one percent of parents are extremely or very concerned that their young teen will know what to do in an unsafe situation.
With free time and activities in new environments, it is important that young teens know how to get help in different situations.
What you can do to promote safety:
- Teach your child to dial 911 in an emergency.
- Consider providing a cell phone to your young teen for emergency use.
- Visit your young teen's job site and ensure that it complies with OSHA regulations for a safe working environment.
- Make sure that your child has safe transportation to work, day camp or other summer activities.
- Remind your young teen never to give out personal information or photographs to a stranger in-person or on the Internet.
- Encourage your child to talk openly with you about his or her daily experiences and come to you with any communications or situations that make them feel scared or uncomfortable.
Survey Methodology: Data was collected online March 20, 2006 – March 23, 2006, with a nationally representative sample of 542 parents of children ages 10-13 years.
* GlaxoSmithKline has provided funding and other support to the National PTA for the survey and the “Summer Break: What’s at Stake?” campaign.
Summer Break - Tips For A Healthy Summer: A Guide for Parents of Young Teens
Summer is a time for outdoor fun. It also is a time for potential health risks, including sunburn, insect bites, injuries and seasonal illnesses. “Summer Break – What’s at Stake?” was created to address the top summer health concerns parents of young adolescents and teens identified in a survey supported by PTA and funded by GlaxoSmithKline.
The recent survey reveals that one in four parents are extremely or very concerned about their young teen’s health during the summer break. In addition, ninety-two percent of parents plan to maintain open communication with their children to ensure that they have a safe summer. The following tips address these concerns for an active, healthy and happy summer break.
Thirty-five percent of parents cite heat exhaustion as their top summer health concern and 75 percent will insist that their young teen wear sunscreen. Warm weather means more time for outdoor activities. Protect your young teen from sunburn which can contribute to skin cancer and damage in the future.
What you can do to minimize the risk:
- Limit sun exposure when possible, particularly during peak hours of 10 AM to 4 PM.
- When your child is going to be in the sun, provide a water-resistant or waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to be applied liberally, uniformly and thickly to all exposed skin surfaces. - Don’t forget to protect lips, ears and toes!
- Remind your young teen to apply sunscreen and lip protection 30 minutes to two hours prior to sun exposure, depending on the product’s instructions, and to reapply every one to two hours and after swimming or heavy perspiration.
- Pay attention to expiration dates and discard outdated sunscreens.
- Encourage your child to wear light-weight, light colored, loose-fitting clothing and a hat, particularly on hot and humid days.
- Provide a portable, durable water bottle or sports beverage. Remind your young teen to drink before feeling thirsty and throughout the day.
Half of parents agree that their young teen spends too much time watching TV or playing video games.
As a parent, you have an important role in shaping your child's physical activity attitudes and behaviors. It is important to encourage young teens to be active in physical activities that interest them.
What you can do to encourage physical fitness:
- Set a positive example by limiting your own daily TV viewing, aiming to exercise every day, making healthy food choices and encouraging your child to do the same.
- Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use and Internet safety. Remember to monitor your child's compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your child spends on the computer.
- Help your child choose an activity - any activity - such as walking, basketball, or bike riding, and encourage one hour of exercise per day.
- Consider registering your child for an organized summer sports league or active day camp.
- Purchase a pedometer for your young teen to count steps throughout the day, aiming for 11,000 daily steps for girls (ages 6 to 17) and 13,000 daily steps for boys (ages 6 to 17).
Only one in five parents are extremely or very concerned that their child will be exposed to infectious diseases during summer activities, such as camp or babysitting younger children.
Preteens and young teens may be exposed to various infectious diseases during summertime activities, yet only three in 10 parents planned to take their teen to the doctor before kicking off summer activities.
Pertussis, in particular, is a health risk since childhood immunization begins to wear off five to 10 years after the last routine vaccination shot, which is typically administered when children are between four and six years old. This may leave preteens and young teens vulnerable to this highly contagious bacterial infection.
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, may be mistaken for a cold at first, but then progresses to more severe coughing episodes, which can last an average of 106 days. Whooping cough may also lead to trouble sleeping, vomiting, pneumonia and missed activities for kids. This disease can be prevented and an Advisory Committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends universal booster vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis for preteens and teens.
What you can do to prepare your teen for a healthy summer:
- Take your young teen to his or her doctor for a summer health visit.
- Ask your child's doctor if he or she should get the booster vaccination against whooping cough and other infectious diseases.
- Remember that infectious diseases, like whooping cough, often go undiagnosed, so children and young teens may unknowingly spread the diseases to other family members and friends.
Only 22 percent of parents are extremely or very concerned that their child will swim at a pool or beach that is not attended by a lifeguard.
Drowning is the second-leading cause of injury-related death for children up to 14 years of age and is often preventable.
What you can do to promote water safety:
- Never leave children or young teens unattended by water and always secure home pools.
- Make sure your young teen always wears a life jacket while boating. When properly fitted, a life jacket can prevent a tragedy.
- Teach your young teen to signal for help if unable to swim out of a strong ocean current. Wave one or both hands in the air, and scream or call for help.
- Teach your young teen to swim and to recognize his or her ability and limits.
- Require that your young teen swim using a buddy system and never swim without a lifeguard or adult nearby.
- Learn CPR.
- If you take your young teen's friend swimming, remember that he or she may not swim at the same level as your child and assess their ability.
- Remind your young teen only to dive into known safe areas, such as the deep section of a supervised pool.
Forty-one percent of parents are extremely or very concerned that their young teen will know what to do in an unsafe situation.
With free time and activities in new environments, it is important that young teens know how to get help in different situations.
What you can do to promote safety:
- Teach your child to dial 911 in an emergency.
- Consider providing a cell phone to your young teen for emergency use.
- Visit your young teen's job site and ensure that it complies with OSHA regulations for a safe working environment.
- Make sure that your child has safe transportation to work, day camp or other summer activities.
- Remind your young teen never to give out personal information or photographs to a stranger in-person or on the Internet.
- Encourage your child to talk openly with you about his or her daily experiences and come to you with any communications or situations that make them feel scared or uncomfortable.
Survey Methodology: Data was collected online March 20, 2006 – March 23, 2006, with a nationally representative sample of 542 parents of children ages 10-13 years.
* GlaxoSmithKline has provided funding and other support to the National PTA for the survey and the “Summer Break: What’s at Stake?” campaign.
