Preventive Care

Preventing ill health in children is far better than them constantly getting sick. The experienced team at One World Pediatrics in Longwood, Florida, offers comprehensive preventive care to ensure young people enjoy optimal health. Your child benefits from immunizations, well-child exams, and healthy living advice from birth to adulthood. Call One World Pediatrics today to learn more about preventive care or book an appointment online.

What is preventive care?

Preventive care is all about staying healthy and avoiding diseases. Preventing serious illnesses significantly reduces pain and suffering for your child, lost school time, and expense, and it helps them remain active and healthy into old age.

The two primary aspects of preventive care are medical interventions and leading a healthy lifestyle.

What medical interventions does preventive care use?

The first medical intervention in preventive care is immunization. From the moment a baby is born, they embark on a carefully designed vaccination program throughout childhood that stops them from contracting potentially serious illnesses, such as:

• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Chickenpox
• Rotavirus
• Pneumococcal infection
• Whooping cough (pertussis)
• Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)
• Hepatitis A and B
• Polio
• Flu
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Another essential element of preventive care is screening. This is where the One World Pediatrics team performs tests and investigations to look for signs that might indicate your child has a disease, infection, or behavioral problem. Conditions that pediatric screening can detect include:

• Anemia (iron deficiency)
• Sickle cell disease
• Lead exposure
• High cholesterol
• Hearing impairment
• Language development problems
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from age 15
• Hepatitis C (from age 18)

Serious health problems like high blood pressure and high cholesterol don’t usually affect children. However, because they cause no symptoms, screening is the only way to tell if there’s a problem.

Your pediatrician might recommend certain tests for children with higher risk factors, such as a family history of heart trouble or diabetes, excess body weight, or premature delivery.

What role does lifestyle play in preventive care?

Everything people do in their lives impacts their well-being, so making better life choices can significantly improve health in the short and long term. Healthy living golden rules for children include:

• Eating a balanced, varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables
• Getting regular exercise that works the heart, lungs, and muscles
• Reducing stress
• Practicing good self-care
• Drinking plenty of water
• Getting enough good quality sleep

The One World Pediatrics team offers advice on all these aspects of healthy living so you and your child know how to stay well. They also perform regular well-child checkups to monitor your child’s health and provide school and sports physicals.

To find out more about the difference preventive care can make to your child’s life, call One World Pediatrics today or schedule a consultation online.