Health Maintenance in School Aged Children: Part II. Counseling Recommendations

School-aged children (five to 12 years) are establishing patterns of behavior that may last a lifetime; therefore, during health maintenance visits, it is important to counsel families on healthy lifestyle practices. Children should eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, beans, fish, and lean meats, while limiting sugar, fast food, and highly processed foods. Children should engage in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. A Family Media Use Plan should be used to individualize screen time limits and content for children. Nine to 12 hours of sleep per night is recommended for school-aged children. Inadequate sleep is associated with behavioral issues, difficulty concentrating at school, high blood pressure, and obesity. Children should brush their teeth twice per day with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing fluoride. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in this age group in the United States, and families should be counseled on vehicle, water, sports, firearm, home, environmental, and social safety. Because high-risk behaviors may start in early adolescence, many experts recommend discussing tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, including prescription drugs, beginning at 11 years of age. Sexually active adolescents should be counseled about the risk of sexually transmitted infections, and they should be screened for these infections if indicated. Copyright (C) 2019 American Academy of Family Physicians.