In the Community

September 22, 2009

Kaiser Permanente Pediatrician Shares Back-to-School Advice on ABC Channel 7’s ‘The View From the Bay’

Back-to-school tips about everything from nutrition to immunization were featured when a San Francisco-based Kaiser Permanente pediatrician was interviewed on “The View From the Bay,” a daytime show aired on ABC Channel 7 in San Francisco.

Shannon Udovic-Constant, MD, told show hosts about the importance of monitoring children’s’ stress levels, eating healthy foods, and trying to help children keep perspective and not overload themselves with activities.

Going from the relaxed time of summer to the more structured time of the school year is definitely a challenge,” Udovic-Constant said. “The trick really is to find one or two things beyond school that really engages your child, that’s really fun for them, and not do more than that, despite so much of the interest in doing that. The downtime, and the unstructured time, really, really is so crucial.”
She also talked about the importance of nutrition. “Children need to eat healthy nutritious meals... so parents should start their day with breakfast and pack a healthy lunch and snack. I also advise my patients to drink plenty of water and avoid soda and other sugared drinks,” she said. “In addition, get enough sleep, teach good hand washing, cover coughs and sneezes into their elbows and most important... keep your children home when they are running a fever or don't feel well.”

Watch the segment now on KGO Channel 7’s Web site.

You also can view Dr. Udovic-Constant’s Web page on kp.org.