Melissa Grant - Children Trends in Montana

I am interested in child health and use to live in Montana, so I talked to Denise Brunett. She is a supervisor of the Children's Special Health Services in Helena, MT. She gave some of the top preventable issues in children as being obesity, stress, diabetes, dental care, and the common cold.

Obesity- 25.6 % of all children are obese in Montana. It is doing much better than many of the other states and the percentage has fallen since 2003. It has one of the lower statistics and Denise said that this is because Montana has one of the highest breastfeeding rates, which reduces childhood obesity.

Stress- there has been more cases of stressed kids, but it is one of the most preventable issues. Children need to get the right amount of sleep, exercise, and eat more healthy foods. It’s important to educate them while they’re young and still developing healthy habits.

Diabetes- with obesity comes diabetes and Montana has developed a program called Montana Diabetes Project (MDP) devoted to preventing diabetes. They have increased the care available and education offered on diabetes.

Dental care- Issues have arose because kids aren’t getting enough fluoride and nutrition. Parents have frequently been neglectful and they need to be an example to their kids so they develop healthy habits. 

Common Cold- The common cold always comes around during winters, which are especially cold in Montana. Kids are forced to stay inside longer and are in a confined area together. It could better be prevented if the sick kids stay home and get better. It has also been found to be very beneficial if parents will give their children probiotic to help boost their immune system.