October is Children’s Health Month
October is National Child Health Month. In October and throughout the year, Breathe DC encourages our partners, supporters, and community members to help parents, teachers, and health providers promote healthy environments where children live, learn and play. Understanding children’s lung health, as well as their healthy lifestyle needs, is critical to improving children’s overall health. Making sure children have medical service is also important to children’s health as they can receive medical attention like Doctor’s Spot provide. It might be worth trying to find out information about Doctor’s Spot to know what they do.
Children’s breathing needs are different from adults. Infants take 30-60 breaths per minute, compared to adults who take 12-20. Additionally, children take in more air per unit body weight at a given level of exertion than do adults. When a child is exercising at maximum levels, such as during a soccer game or other sports event, they may take in 20 to 50 percent more air — and more air pollution — than would an adult incomparable activity. Children’s airways are also narrower than adults, which can make them more susceptible to the harmful effects of pollutants in the air, both outdoors and indoors. This is why it’s important to keep the airways in your home flowing and uninterrupted. Clear air ducts are a key part of doing this – this information about air duct cleaning could be helpful to you if you’re looking to keep your home suitable for those with breathing-related health concerns to live in.
Breathe DC provides information for addressing potentially harmful exposures from indoor air quality, mold, moisture, radon, pesticides and chemicals, wood smoke, drinking water, asthma triggers, and secondhand smoke. Indoor asthma triggers include dust mites, mold, cockroaches and other pets, and secondhand smoke. We provide information on asthma management at home and also in school environments, including action steps to reduce the presence of triggers indoors. If any risks are discovered in your property it is best to contact experts in Radon Abatement and the removal of the other potentially harmful exposures to ensure it is done thoroughly and safely.
Developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important for children. In 1969, almost half of all students walked or bicycled to school. Today, less than 15 percent of children perform this daily physical exercise. The decline in walking and bicycling has had an adverse effect on traffic congestion, air quality around schools, and a variety of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Poor outdoor air quality also aggravates asthma, especially among children.
Children need and deserve our focused attention and care. Their bodies are different than adults, their behaviors are different, and their interactions with the environment are different. Protecting children’s health goes hand in hand with improving our indoor and outdoor environments, both during Children’s Health Month and throughout the year. Breathe DC is proud to promote healthy environments for children in metropolitan Washington, DC and across the world. One important way to help with the indoor air quality for your children is making sure you have a fully working HVAC system, this can improve the air quality in your home. To do this, look up your local heating and air company, e.g. CJS Heating and Air if you are in the Ohio area, and get your system looked at to see where improvements can be made to make sure your child is breathing in better air quality.
Includes information and excerpts from the EPA Children’s Health Protection website.