SSM Health: Important Reasons To Take Your Child For An In-Person Wellness Exam

From the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton:

October 29, 2020

While there are great options for your child to receive health care virtually, SSM Health Dean Medical Group pediatrician Sara Kreckman, MD, says there are a few reasons why bringing your child to an in-person well child exam is important, especially right now.

“One of main things we assess at these annual checkups is growth. During this time, our activity level and eating habits have markedly changed. I can’t tell you how many families I have seen over the last couple of months, where I show them the growth chart and their 8-year-old has gained 30 pounds in the last six and a half months because of alterations in both diet and activity level.”

Dr. Kreckman says it’s especially important to assess kids for these changes in-person so physicians have the opportunity to both provide education on healthy eating and activity, and also set up a plan to start adjusting these habits.

In addition, Dr. Kreckman shares that a lot of kids are having behavioral issues, sleep issues and mental health issues because of what’s happening in our world right now. We’re seeing more anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleeping issues - probably more than ever before - as a result of the social isolation that these kids are experiencing,” she says.

Dr. Kreckman says pediatricians and family medicine providers screen for these types of issues at annual check-ups and seeing a child and parent in-person allows the provider to identify any issues and set up a plan to address and treat it.

Finally, keeping kids on track with their scheduled immunizations is another key reason to visit with your child’s provider in-person.

“Immunizations are always important. We want to control what we can control,” Dr. Krekcman says. Staying on track with a child’s immunizations, particularly for preventable diseases, such as measles, whooping cough and influenza, will help relieve the burden on our health care system and on our population.

At SSM Health, we've taken the precautions needed to ensure safe, in-person visits. That's why everyone is screened before entering our facilities and required to wear a mask or other face covering. We've also enhanced our cleaning procedures, rearranged our waiting rooms and limited the number of visitors to create proper social distancing.

Stay on track by scheduling your child’s wellness exam at an SSM Health location today, or find a pediatrician near you.

This press release was produced by the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton. The views expressed are the author's own.