It’s that time of year again – summer break has ended, vacations are over, and focus has shifted towards the new school year. It’s time to go back to school! Whether you have school-aged children or not, this is a fantastic time to optimize your overall health.
Returning to school means increased contact with other people, bacteria, and viruses. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 3 million children aged 5 to 17 years old repeatedly missed school for health reasons in 2022. Non-Hispanic white children (6.6%) and Hispanic children (6.2%) were absent more often than Black children (3.3%) and Asian children (1.4%).1 If your children are homesick, you are more likely to miss work. In this article, we will discuss some healthy ways to prepare your family for back to school along with vaccine-preventable diseases.
Tips for a Healthy Return to School
Preparing for a successful school year goes beyond purchasing school supplies and new clothes. A new school year means more focus on studies, extracurricular activities, long days, and busy schedules. It’s important that you are feeling your best for yourself and for your family. Here are some things you can focus on ahead of the new school year:
Manage Chronic Illnesses2,3
If you have a chronic illness like diabetes, high blood pressure, or arthritis, it’s important that you avoid complications. The easiest ways to manage your chronic illness include eating well, staying active, and following your treatment plan.
- Schedule regular checkups with your doctor. Your doctor may need to monitor how well your treatments are working by completing lab work and physical exams. If your medication needs to be adjusted, talking with your doctor is the best way to get the help that you need. It can be dangerous to make changes to your medication without talking with your doctor first.
- Take your medications as prescribed. As your schedules change and things get busier, it’s important that you maintain your medication schedule. Not taking your medications as prescribed can decrease their effectiveness. Taking your medications as prescribed includes following the suggested medication amount, frequency, and getting your prescriptions refilled on time.
- Monitor your health at home. There are some treatment plans that include checking your blood pressure, blood sugar, other health numbers, and good nutrition. Staying consistent with monitoring your health at home can let you know quickly if your condition is improving or getting worse. If you see something that looks wrong, you should reach out to your doctor as soon as possible.
- Stay active. Maintaining a regular physically active lifestyle not only keeps your weight down, it also improves your mental health and can help you immediately feel good and improve your sleep. Recommendations for physical activity include at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical (e.g. walking, dancing, jumping rope) activity each week, plus 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening activities. Talk with your doctor about the best physical activities that match your abilities.
Mind Your Mental Health
More responsibilities and activities during the school year may mean additional stress for you. Managing your stress levels and prioritizing your mental health is important to optimizing the physical health of your entire body. The development of diabetes, cancer, autoimmune conditions, depression, anxiety, and abnormal heart function have all been linked to stress and inflammation in the body.4
If you are taking medication for your mental health, it’s important to stay consistent with taking your medication as prescribed and keeping your doctor’s appointments.
Healthy ways to cope to stress, anxiety, grief, or worry include:
- Getting enough sleep. Getting 7 or more hours of sleep per night, if possible may help to decrease your stress levels. As you create your daily routine, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to improve the quality of your sleep.
- Move more and sit less. Any amount of physical activity you get during the day helps. It can be easy to get busy working and taking care of family and forget to incorporate exercise into our day. Exercise helps release chemicals dopamine and serotonin (“feel good hormones”) in your brain that may calm your mood.5,6 Physical activity also improves blood flow and oxygen to your organs.6
- Make time to unwind. Stretch, take deep breaths, and do activities you enjoy to relax your mind.
Boost Your Immune System
Keeping your immune system strong is one of the best ways to prevent catching common colds, the flu, or other viruses and illnesses that your children may bring home from their classmates. A strong immune system will also help you keep your energy levels high. Ways to keep your immune system boosted include7,8:
- Eating foods that are rich in Vitamin C like oranges, red bell peppers, broccoli, and brussels sprouts.
- Eating foods that are full of vitamin B6 such as turkey, chicken breast, chickpeas, salmon, and squash.
- Including foods in your diet that are full of vitamin E such as spinach, nuts, and tomatoes.
- Adding foods rich in zinc into your diet like lentils, greek yogurt, milk, shrimp, and lean cuts of beef.
- Staying hydrated helps keep the cells in your immune system healthy. Drink more water and eat more hydrating foods like cucumbers, celery, and watermelon. Try to avoid consuming large amounts of beverages that can make you dehydrated like coffee and soda.
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases8
Staying current with your vaccinations should be part of your family’s wellness plan. Vaccines can help to prevent a lot of diseases, and the CDC has recommendations of which vaccines you should take based on your age. You may be familiar with the health benefits of protecting yourself against diseases, but vaccination schedules and timings can be confusing. Your family’s doctor should be guiding you in the process of getting vaccinated. You can also speak to your pharmacist about which vaccines are recommended for you.
CDC Vaccine Recommendations by Age
To help guide you and your family, here is a list of recommended vaccines that are recommended based on age.*
Vaccinations for All Age Groups
- Influenza (flu) vaccine(s) for everyone aged 6 months or older each year.
- COVID-19 vaccine(s) for everyone aged 6 months or older.
Vaccinations for Young Children Age 6 Years or Younger
- Chickenpox (Varicella) vaccine first dose at age 12-15 months and 2nd dose at ages 4-6 years.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis/whooping cough (DTaP) vaccine is recommended for children aged 6 or younger.
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine first dose at age 12-15 months and second dose at ages 4-6 years. Note: infants 6–11 months old should get 1 dose of the MMR vaccine before international travel.
Vaccinations for Children Age 7 to 12 Years
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis/whooping cough (TdaP) vaccine for children aged 11-12 years.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine first dose at age 11-12 years old and 2nd dose 6-12 months after first dose.
Vaccinations for Teenagers/Young Adults
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is recommended for teens and young adults aged 15 through age 2 who did not receive the vaccine before age 15.
- Meningitis (Meningococcal) vaccine is recommended at age 11-12 years and again at age 16.
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis/whooping cough (Tdap or Td) vaccine is recommended every 10 years for all adults 19 and older.
Vaccinations for Adults
- Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 19 to 59 years.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is recommended for adults aged 27 to 45 who have not previously been vaccinated after discussing the risks of HPV infections and possible benefits with your doctor.
- Shingles (Zoster) vaccine is recommended for all adults 50 years and older.
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis/whooping cough (Tdap or Td) vaccine is recommended every 10 years for all adults.
Vaccinations for Older Adults Age 65 Years and Above
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine is recommended for adults aged 60 years and older.
- Shingles (Zoster) vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 50 years and older.
Vaccinations for Pregnant Women
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine is recommended during pregnancy at 32 weeks through 36 weeks.
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis/whooping cough (Tdap) vaccine, one dose each pregnancy.
*This is a short immunization guide that only focuses on common diseases that vaccines are recommended for. Please talk with your doctor about all of the vaccines and doses that are recommended for you and your family based on your age and current conditions. Additional easy-to-use resources approved by the CDC and other professional medical associations can be found here.
References
- US News and World Report (2024) Health Issues Keep Millions of Kids Consistently Out of School, Study Finds https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-03-14/study-health-issues-keep-millions-of-kids-chronically-out-of-school Accessed August 9, 2024
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024) Living with a Chronic Condition https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/living-with/index.html Accessed August 9, 2024
- Aremu Taio Opeyemi et al. (2022) Medication Adherence and Compliance: Recipe for Improving Patient Outcomes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9498383/ Accessed August 9, 2024
- Mariotti Agnese (2015) The effects of chronic stress on health: new insights into the molecular mechanisms of brain–body communication https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5137920/ Accessed August 9, 2024
- American Psychological Association (2020) Working out boosts brain health https://www.apa.org/topics/exercise-fitness/stress#:~:text=One%20theory%20is%20that%20physical,with%20anxiety%20and%20panic%20attacks. Accessed August 9, 2024
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2022) https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits Accessed August 9, 2024
- Cleveland Clinic (2022) 5 Vitamins That Are Best for Boosting Your Immunity https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vitamins-best-boosting-immunity Accessed August 9, 2024
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2024) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/recommendations.html Accessed August 8, 2024
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