This post was sponsored by Unity Consortium as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Keeping our family healthy is a top priority for us. Having a large family that has a passion for travel, it is important that we maintain our health so we feel great when being active. We love going on adventures both near and far to spend quality time together. Three of our five children fall under the age range that is featured in a recent Teen Health Survey and some of the responses may surprise you.
Did you know 40% of teens believe that vaccinations are only for babies? 52% of male teens believe they don’t need to see a doctor unless they feel sick. My father is the worst about not getting checkups and I hate that the gender stereotype is there. I know it is my job as a mom to make sure my sons know how important preventative healthcare is.
Noah has no issue telling me when he feels his allergies acting up or if he needs to get his eyes check. As tweens and teens, they stay busy with extracurricular activities, school, and our travels. To stay healthy enough to play baseball and archery, they know they have to get approval by their pediatrician.
Four in 10 parents (41%) believe their teen should only see a doctor when he/she feels sick, reducing opportunities to discuss preventive health measures, such as vaccines.
Gabby sees so many specialists for her special needs that adding another doctor appointment for a wellness check is not uncommon to overlook. I have to remind myself that even though she may have a checkup with her neurologist or orthopedic surgeon, it is completely different than seeing her pediatrician annually.
Annual check-ups are a critical part of preventive health, especially at 11-12 and 16-years of age when teens get the recommended vaccinations.
Unity Consortium addresses the challenges surrounding adolescent and young adult health, with a goal of ensuring 9 in 10 are fully vaccinated against preventable diseases.
There is additional information about the survey and the importance of vaccines on the website Unity4TeenVax.org
Recommended vaccinations for teens:
- Meningococcal-includes two distinct meningococcal disease vaccines (ACWY and B)
- Tdap-tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) and Td Booster (tetanus and diphtheria)
- HPV-human papillomavirus
- Flu
Do you fall within the statistics shown on the teen health survey? Do your children have wellness checkups annually?
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