Preventive Care

While it is impossible to avoid all illnesses, there are many forms of preventive care that reduce health risks by improving individual health or by checking the spread of germs and infectious diseases. Even simple preventive measures such as frequent hand washing can save lives. The Centers for Disease Control [Page 1423]and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta suggests that hands should be washed with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds before and after preparing food, after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers or cleaning up after children and animals, before and after caring for someone who is sick or who has a cut or wound, after handling uncooked foods, after nose blowing, coughing, and sneezing, and after handling garbage. Alcohol-based sanitizers may be used to kill germs when soap and water are unavailable.

Preventive care of children starts even before a woman becomes pregnant. Women who are trying to get pregnant should eat a well-balanced diet, take vitamins that contain folic acid, reduce or eliminate alcohol intake, avoid smoking and nonprescription drugs, drink eight glasses of chemical-free water each day, and avoid all chemicals in food. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases and accidents. Preventive care for this age group involves proper nutrition and healthcare and never leaving small children unattended (even in high chairs and walkers) removing toxic substances and small and sharp objects from their reach, fitting children with helmets when they ride bicycles and go-carts, and using automobile child restraints that have been properly installed. Children can be protected from drowning deaths by teaching them to swim and never allowing them to be around water unattended. A small child can drown even in a partially filled bathtub or bucket.

Other preventive measures involve teaching children to obey established rules such as never talking to strangers, fire prevention, playground safety, and easy-to-understand emergency measures. Exposure to iron and lead-based products may be fatal to children. All firearms should remain under lock and key whenever children are present.

In an effort to produce healthier adults, much of the focus of the early 21st century has been on childhood obesity. Children's advocates and the medical community have long abhorred the practice of encouraging unhealthy eating habits in children through the use of television commercials. In response, companies such as Disney, Kraft, and Kellogg have established new nutritional guidelines to reduce the amount of fat, salt, and sugar in their products and have pledged to pull advertisements for food containing these substances from children's programs.

In industrialized nations, the three major causes of death are ischaemic heart disease, which involves reduced blood flow to the heart, cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. All of these result in large part due from lifestyle choices that include poor nutrition, ingestion of harmful substances, and sedentary lifestyles. Although cancers may not always be preventable, early detection is highly correlated to survival rates. For women, preventive healthcare includes regular PAP smears and breast exams, and for men it involves prostate examinations. Controlling hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol levels, and managing stress also significantly cuts the risk of developing other potentially fatal conditions.

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