Healthy Growth and Development with Texas Children Pediatrics

Pediatric Health & Family Medicine

A family medicine practice is one that encompasses many specialities and experts to provide comprehensive care for all ages. And how important are our little ones for our family, right? Your family medicine practitioner will be able to accurately assess your kid, but you also have the option to see an in-house pediatrician.

Pediatric ages start at birth and may end at 15, 18, or 21 years old, depending on the patient, the practice, and the health system. While the first two years are the most relevant for an individual’s development, having continuity of care during the infancy and into adolescence is also crucially important.

Common Pediatric Services

As we just mentioned, pediatric visits are highly common and relevant, especially during the first two years of life. They allow you to monitor your child’s growth and catch any particular issues or illnesses they could develop in their early stages.

Some of the most relevant and common pediatric services are:

• Regular pediatric exam: check-ups for monitoring growth and other important levels. They usually involve blood pressure check, vision screening, weight and height evaluation, and hearing tests.
• Immunizations: keeping your child’s immunizations up to date is extremely important. This will guarantee your tranquility as a family and their proper health during key development periods.
• Acute illness care: treatment for acute injuries or common pediatric concerns like infections, sore throat, colds, allergies, etc.
• Chronic condition management: if required, your pediatric specialists will give you support and actionable tips for conditions like asthma, chronic allergies, diabetes, anemia, etc. When necessary, they will connect with and work alongside the right specialist.
• Developmental screenings: these will allow you and your doctor to monitor your child’s growth and identify potential conditions like ADHD, autism, speech disorders, or development delays. If those were to arise, your doctor will also provide the right resources and referrals.

Challenges for Texas Children Pediatrics

Climate, culture, genetics, and plenty other factors play a pivotal role in the way certain communities experience their health. Some of the challenges pediatrics in Texas commonly face include:

Respiratory Issues

Texas is amongst the 12 most polluted states in the U.S. due not only to high vehicle use, but also because of massive industrial sites and the unauthorized use of pollutants. This and other triggers such as pollen or pets make it extremely difficult for people—and children—suffering from allergies, asthma, and similar respiratory conditions.

Obesity and Nutrition

Proper nutrition during childhood and adolescence is key for an overall healthy and happy kid. It’s important that parents and healthcare providers work together to develop successful, affordable, and enjoyable meal plans and exercise routines.

Our advice? Don’t wait until it becomes a problem. During 2020, Texas was 4% above the national average for child obesity, with one-fifth of Texan children from the ages 10 to 17 suffering from it. With the right habits and medical supervision, obesity can be managed or prevented before it develops further complications or impacts on your kid’s life.

Mental Health

It’s no secret how mental health can determine a lot of what happens with our physical body, and children aren’t the exception to this rule. In fact, national research indicates that one in five children suffers from a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health issue during their development.

This is why at South Plains Rural Health Services we also offer counseling services for the whole family. Navigating anxiety, depression, stress, etc, can be extremely challenging as a young person who is still learning about their emotions, and we want to help your child manage, accept, and integrate them.

Preventing Infectious Diseases

Some of the most common infectious diseases in Texas are the flu, COVID-19, West Nile virus (especially during summer and fall season), Zika virus, and others. A pediatrician will give you tips for prevention and early detection, as well as proper care if your child ever contracts them.