Back to school is upon us, with new challenges and opportunities for students and parents alike.
Maybe you are a seasoned veteran, able to juggle academics and extracurriculars with ease. Or maybe your child is heading to school for the first time, and you’re wondering what comes next.
However, no matter who you are, if you are concerned about your child’s health as they go into this next school year, you are not alone. Data indicates that America’s children are struggling in terms of their health, mentally and physically. Over the last two decades, rates of health issues ranging from childhood diabetes to depression have risen, leaving parents feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
Fortunately, there are a few simple practices that parents can consider to help support their children’s mental and physical health this school year.
Let’s Talk About It: Mental Health
Data published in JAMA Pediatrics indicates that the rates of depression and anxiety have been steadily increasing over the last decade. While the factors contributing to this rise are many and varied, two that stand out are the stress and the amount of screen time that school-aged children engage in.
Between academics, extracurriculars, sports, and social expectations, school-aged children are contending with higher chronic stress levels than ever before.
While there is such a thing as “good stress,” a short-term feeling that can motivate students to prepare for challenges, long-term stress can be highly detrimental to the body, contributing to muscle pain, a weakened immune system, digestive problems, and more. Chronic stress can also contribute to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
More than a quarter of teens are dealing with chronic stress of some kind, and many of them are creating detrimental habits to cope, including excessive screen use. According to recent data, students spend on average 7 hours per day on screens, whether for e-school or personal use, as opposed to the more limited approach most experts recommend, with some even saying that screentime should be restricted to 2-3 hours. According to the CDC, this overuse of screens contributes to students’ anxiety, depression, and stress.
Parents can help their students cope with stress by encouraging them to avoid overscheduling, limiting screen use, teaching relaxation practices to lower the physical effects of stress, and encouraging face-to-face dialogue to understand and support their children with the stressors of their academic and social lives.
Let’s Talk About It: Physical Health
Nutrition
As research on aspects of the body, such as the gut microbiome, has developed over the years, it has become increasingly clear that good nutrition has an indispensable role in overall physical wellbeing.
However, recent studies demonstrates that the overall diet and nutrition of American children remains poor. Rates of childhood diabetes and obesity have risen despite efforts to enable schools to provide healthy food, causing concern among health experts and parents.
Parents of elementary and middle school-aged children can promote good nutrition by encouraging snacks such as popcorn, mixed nuts, fruit slices, and trail mix as alternatives to sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks. Parents can also engage older teens with food preparation, showing them how to prepare food for themselves for the future.
Modeling good nutrition for children early on helps them develop a vision for healthy eating that they can carry with them into high school and beyond.
Sleep
Proper sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. Lack of sleep is not only associated with physical problems but also with cognitive issues, including not only increased anxiety, depression, and stress but also lack of focus and difficulty with reasoning and creative thinking. A habit of poor sleep inevitably works against success both academically and socially, increasing stress.
Unfortunately, students are getting much less than the recommended amount of sleep. Elementary and middle school students (between 6 and 12) require as many as 9 to 12 hours of sleep, while late middle and high school students should be getting between 8 and 10 hours.
According to a 2024 CDC report, over 57% of middle school students and 72% of high school students are not meeting these goals. Poor sleep hygiene can be due to factors like overscheduling, high levels of caffeine consumption late in the day, the use of screens before bed, general feelings of stress and anxiety, or a bright and noisy sleeping environment.
Parents can help by engaging in practices such as establishing a nighttime routine and discouraging sugar and caffeine before bed, and as removing screens from the bedroom, such as TVs, phones, and tablets. They can also work with their kids to prevent overscheduling by setting realistic expectations and teaching time management skills. Any of these actions can promote healthy sleeping habits in school-aged children, helping them thrive physically, mentally, and academically.
Conclusion
Back to school can be both an exciting and stressful time for parents and students, and it can be easy for both physical and mental health practices to take a back seat in the face of more immediate concerns. By helping students develop good physical habits, such as practicing healthy nutrition and good sleep hygiene, parents can support their students as they navigate the challenges of the new academic year.
More and more, science is demonstrating that the body and mind are intertwined, and by prioritizing the mental and physical health of their children, parents can play an essential role in establishing habits that will help their students thrive throughout their lives.