Child Health Care

Children's health, or pediatrics, focuses on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. It is vitally concerned with all aspects of children's growth and development and with the unique opportunity that each child has to achieve their full potential as a healthy adult.

Children's health was once a subset of adult medicine. In the 19th and early 20th century, people recognized pediatrics as a medical specialty because of the gradual awareness that the health problems of children are different from those of adults. It was also recognized that a child's response to illness, medications, and the environment depends upon the age of the child.

There are many aspects to children's health. Any organization of these aspects of child health is necessarily arbitrary. For example, the topics could be presented in alphabetical order. However, it seems most logical to start with the factors that determine a child's healthy growth and development.

Children's growth and development

A healthy child's development actually begins before conception with the parents' health and their genetic legacy. It continues on to conception and through the prenatal period. During this time, there is naturally considerable overlap between pediatric concerns for the fetus and obstetrical concerns for the mother.

Once the baby is delivered, there are new and important matters to address, such as breastfeeding, new born screening tests, and sleeping safety. All too soon, there are health care appointments to be kept for well-baby check-ups and vaccinations. These are followed by other issues such as when and how to introduce solid foods, toilet training, and when to see the dentist.

The field of pediatrics recognizes classic stages in growth and development, but these are not absolute since a child's growth and development constitute a continuum. A baby changes at an astonishing rate during the new born period and early infancy. Before you know it, the baby becomes a toddler, next a child and, after a little more than a decade, enters adolescence. It is a busy, challenging period for both child and parent.

Unfortunately, even the healthiest baby can get sick. It is worth knowing the signs and symptoms of the common childhood illnesses as well as the treatment and prevention of these illnesses. There are a number of common childhood conditions such as ear infections and tonsillitis which may be unavoidable. But children are also subject to other preventable diseases such as the serious and potentially lethal infectious diseases prevented by immunizations and dental caries (tooth decay), which can be prevented by on-going oral care and fluoride treatments.

Journal of Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal that explores clinical, medical, social and economic aspects of female reproductive health and medication worldwide.

Authors can submit manuscript as an e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at https://www.imedpub.com/submissions/womens-health-reproductive-medicine.html

Media Contact
John Kimberly
Associate Managing Editor
Journal of Women’s Health and Reproductive Medicine
Email: womenshealth@emedscholar.com