The ultimate back-to-school wellness checklist

Written by WebMD Ignite

Back-to-school season is significant not only for parents and students, but also for schools, healthcare providers, and health centers who provide support during this transition. While most families focus on immunizations, new supplies, and getting back into a steady routine, healthcare providers and other supporting parties also play a critical role in ensuring that students are as healthy as possible.

Amidst all the preparations, it can be challenging to know where to focus your health education efforts. To ensure that no box is left unchecked, we have created a comprehensive wellness checklist in consultation with Stacey Wojcik, MBA, BSN, RN for healthcare providers and others who are helping students stay healthy this back-to-school season. 
 

• Hygiene 

Children’s hygiene becomes difficult to manage when they are away from home, especially in an environment like school where they are exposed to a greater amount of germs and bacteria. A lack of hygiene can lead to lice, pinworms, stomach flu, etc.¹ Wojcik recommends giving children a small bottle of hand sanitizer, stressing the importance of not sharing hair accessories with other children, and teaching them to wash their hands properly. Children should wash their hands after using the bathroom, before eating, and after recess.² Here is an example WebMD Ignite consumer guide to teach kids how to effectively wash their hands. 

• Healthy sleep

With school-going children, it is crucial to maintain a consistent bedtime and nighttime routine to ensure that they are getting enough sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.³  Given increasing school obligations, school-aged children often don’t get enough sleep. This can negatively impact their behavior and cognitive ability as well as cause sleep problems like sleepwalking and sleep terrors. Here is an example guide on healthy sleep habits that can help parents better monitor their child’s sleep.

• Backpack safety

Backpacks are a popular way for many children to carry their books and other materials to school. However, most parents do not focus on backpack safety until their child suffers from a muscle or joint injury. Backpack safety involves choosing the correct backpack and injury prevention.⁴  Here is our example patient guide that outlines all measures that should be taken to ensure backpack safety. 

• Eye health

Eye exams are a critical part of any back-to-school checklist, especially given the increasing use of technology and screen time in the classroom – on top of screen time at home. This makes it even more important to regularly monitor eye health in school-going children and ease eye strain using the American Optometric Association’s guidelines. Giving parents a comprehensive guide on managing screen time can help them gain a clearer understanding of how to manage digital exposure at home, helping reduce eye strain as much as possible.  

• Physical activity

Physical activity should not just be dismissed as something the kids get in school during gym or recess. Physical activity is known to improve grades and test scores⁵ and should be incorporated into children’s before and after school routines. It is helpful to create an exercise plan for children to ensure that they are getting age-appropriate physical activity. Here is an example guide that can be given to parents to help them track their child’s exercise according to their age group. 

• Nutrition

Healthy physical and brain development in childhood and adolescence is heavily dependent on nutrition. Having a balanced diet consisting of grains, vegetables, fruits, protein, and dairy is crucial to getting the necessary nutrients. Most US children attend school for 6 hours a day and consume as much as half of their daily calories at school.⁶  Cafeteria food likely will not cover all of these dietary components, making it important for parents or guardians to provide additional nutrition. Going to a nutritionist to create a diet chart is often expensive, but using age-appropriate diet guides like this one can help parents create their child’s personalized diet chart to ensure healthy eating habits. 

• Please note: 9 million children in the US suffer from food insecurity on a daily basis.⁷  This makes it crucial for schools and healthcare providers to screen children for food insecurity using guidelines such as the ones provided jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Food Research and Action Center. 
   
• Bullying and mental health

Bullying is prevalent in school-going children of all ages and can result in long-lasting mental health consequences. Children must be taught to recognize and respond to bullying, seeking help from a trusted adult if they, or someone they know is experiencing bullying or mental health challenges. Research has shown that when adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, it sets the standard for such behavior being unacceptable and can lead to a change over time.⁸  Parents and teachers need to be educated in ways in which they can detect signs of bullying and take immediate action. Providing informational materials at healthcare practices and schools can proactively educate adults on this subject. 

• Stress management 

While stress is a normal part of life, some students develop chronic stress which is known to cause long-term mental and physical health problems.⁹ Stress can manifest in a variety of ways, school refusal being one among younger children. While it is not possible to completely remove stress, it is possible to teach children techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and physical activity that can help them cope with their increasing academic pressures. 

The above checklist is not exhaustive but is a good starting point for covering wellness issues related to the back-to-school season. WebMD Ignite can support your efforts with our evidence-based, multimedia health content offered in digital, video, print, and other formats. 

By providing those under your care with the required resources and information, you can help students stay as healthy as possible as another school year gets underway. 

See how we can support your education efforts. Learn more →

Sources:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/disease/index.html
2. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/handwashing-family.html#:~:text=It%20is%20especially%20important%20to,sneezing%2C%20or%20blowing%20their%20nose
3. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/students-sleep.htm#:~:text=The%20American%20Academy%20of%20Sleep,10%20hours%20per%2024%20hours
4. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Backpack-SafEty.aspx
5. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/pa-before-after.htm
6. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/schoolnutrition.htm
7. https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america#:~:text=Facts%20about%20hunger%20in%20America,United%20States%20are%20food%20insecure.
8. https://www.stopbullying.gov/
9. https://www.apa.org/topics/children/stress