How healthy eating and activity impacts childhood development

Good nutrition and regular activity are very important to a child’s physical and behavioral development. In addition, well child visits with a pediatrician can have a major impact on a child’s wellbeing. These visits give your child’s doctor a chance to check in on your child’s health and growth and to give physical activity and nutrition guidance. By making sure that your kid is staying active, eating healthy and getting regular checkups, you can help them grow into a healthy adult.

Why physical activity is important for children

A 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee study found that greater activity levels in children between 3 to 5 years of age led to a significant decrease in excessive weight gain and improved bone health. The study also found that children within this age group need three or more hours of physical activity per day to help them have healthy physical and behavioral growth.

Research also shows that higher levels of physical activity lead to better academic performance in children and adolescents. Children who are not regularly active may lack leadership and team-building skills, as well as show signs of low self-esteem, anxiety and stress. Being active is an important part of a child’s development, as those who don’t exercise or have more sedentary lifestyles face higher risks of obesity and mental health-related concerns.

Childhood physical activity recommendations vary by age. Here are some recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Ages 3-5: Children should be physically active throughout the day and encouraged to do physical activities
• Ages 6-17: Children and teenagers should get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each day, which can include:
  • Aerobic exercises like walking, running and swimming
  • Strength-training exercises like pushups and crunches
  • Bone-strengthening exercises like running and jumping

There are many ways to help your kids stay active, but organized sports can be a good option as they also help kids build important social skills, such as how to be part of a team and lead.

How healthy eating impacts a child’s growth

As children become teenagers, healthy nutrition and regular physical activity become an even more important to their growth. Teenagers tend to have busier schedules due to sports or other school activities, so making it easier for them to get all the nutrients they need is important to help them perform well in school. Having easy-to-grab healthy foods on hand, like carrot sticks, sliced fruits or whole-wheat crackers, can help encourage healthy snacking in between activities.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) MyPlate program has guidelines and recommendations for the types of foods and nutrients your kid needs to eat regularly to stay healthy.

The MyPlate meal guidelines generally focus on:

• Making half your plate fruits and vegetables at each meal
• Eating whole grains
• Drinking water or low-fat/fat-free milk – avoid beverages with added sugars
• Eat a variety of lean proteins and proteins with healthy fatty acids, called omega-3s

For more resources on healthy childhood eating, your child’s doctor can help refer your child to local dietitians or wellness resources.

Schedule a well child visit

In addition to making sure your child is staying active and eating healthy meals, having an annual well child visit can help you keep an eye on other areas of your kid’s health. These visits help your kid’s doctor make sure that their growth and development are on track, and that they’re getting the right vaccines at the right age. The CDC has a childhood vaccine schedule that you can review to see when your kid may need to get certain vaccines.

Many Blue Cross of Idaho plans cover a well child visit for kids ages 0-17 at no cost.

 

Written by: Blue Cross of Idaho

Posted: August 6, 2024