Advice: 15-17 years

Nutrition

Eat as a family often, and don’t eat in front of the TV. Drink at least 8 cups of water daily. Avoid processed snacks, chips, candy, fast food and soft drinks. We recommend a daily multivitamin with 600 IU Vitamin D and 1300 mg Calcium

Sleep

Lack of sleep can cause headaches, stress, irritability, anxiety, depression, and symptoms that look like ADHD. Shoot for 8-9 hours of sleep each night. To ensure a good night’s sleep, remove all electronics from the bedroom. Use a normal alarm clock and leave the smartphone downstairs.

Mental Health

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health! If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or sad all the time, talk to your doctor. We can provide advice and are closely partnered with mental health professionals to help you learn coping strategies.

What to expect at your 15-17 year visit

Check-up: Your provider will complete a comprehensive history and physical exam, review growth curves, answer any questions, and provide age appropriate guidance. Parents will be asked to step out for part of this visit so your provider can speak privately and confidentially with your child.

Vaccines:

15 years: Gardasil (HPV), if not completed between 11-14 years
16 years: Menveo (Meningitis A, C, W, Y), Bexsero #1 (Meningitis B)
17 years: Bexsero #2

Labs:

15 years: Lipid Panel (finger poke)
16 years: No routine labs at this visit
17 years: No routine labs at this visit

Screening Questionnaires:

PHQ-9 and GAD-7 – These are brief depression and anxiety screening questionnaire, respectively. These are recommended at all well-visits for children 12 and up.

Safety

ALWAYS… insist that seat belts be used by everyone in the car, and sit in the back seat when you can.
ALWAYS… support your friends who choose not to have sex or use drugs and alcohol.
NEVER… give out personal information, share passwords, or meet an online stranger in person.
NEVER… text and drive, or break the rules of your license regarding passengers and driving past midnight.
NEVER... drink and drive, or go in a vehicle with someone who has been using drugs/alcohol.

Alcohol and Marijuana… We advise against using these substances. Marijuana impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time. A direct relationship exists between blood THC concentration and impaired driving. If using alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs- don’t drive, don’t swim (this is the most common cause of drowning in teens), don’t have sex (only a sober person can give consent), and don’t post your drinking or drug use on social media (snapchat included). It’s always unwise to break the law and advertise it. We recommend avoiding substances that impair your judgment. Excessive alcohol can cause blackouts leading to deadly car accidents, drowning, sexual assault, and death. If you have thrown up from drinking, you have already experienced alcohol poisoning and now you know that was too much.

Sexual Activity

You are not ready to have sex if:

You think sex equals love
You feel pressured
It’s just easier to give in
You think everyone else is doing it (They’re not!)
Your instincts tell you not to
You can’t support a child
You think it will make your partner love you
You think it will keep you together
You hope no one will hear about it
You really wish the whole thing had never come up

If you choose to become sexually active, make sure you’re using appropriate contraception and practicing good hygiene. ALWAYS use a condom to prevent sexually transmitted infections. The best way to avoid pregnancy is to NOT have intercourse. If you are having intercourse, the best way to avoid pregnancy is using 2 forms of contraception.

Females- You should perform monthly breast self-exams. The best time for an exam is at the end of your bleeding cycle. Lumps and bumps are normal, but talk to your doctor if you notice anything abnormal. Talk to your doctor if you experience an irregular menstrual cycle. If you use tampons, change them every 4 hours and don’t sleep with them in.

Males- You should perform testicular self-exams. Talk to your doctor if you notice any lumps, pains, or unusual discharge.

Parenting Corner

Encourage your child to confide in you without fear of judgment or punishment. Understand that your child’s friends are very important. Establish fair, understandable rules around chores, screen time, homework, and bedtime, and follow through with a stated consequence when the rules are broken. Reward responsible socializing- if they are honest about where they want to go, respect the times you say no, check in periodically, and come home on time, discuss giving them more leeway.

Resiliency comes from solving one’s own problems, so get out of your child’s way and let them practice when they face teacher and peer challenges. Helping your teens make good decisions is more important than trying to protect them from everythin. Good mentors engage with their kids about technology, having conversations about what they consider responsible use of phones, social media, and video games.
Sex: Encourage your child to delay sexual activity. Talk about porn. Talk about safe sex practices. If you’re uncomfortable talking about these topics, please ask us for help.

Drugs: Alcohol/Marijuana/Tobacco/Vape are substances that appear in ALL schools by 8th grade. Talk to your child about the dangers of these and consider securing your home. Still, good kids make mistakes. Offer a safe place for your child to talk with you about their choices. Make sure your child knows that they can come to you if they need a safe ride home, or set them up with an Uber/Lyft account.

Encourage your child to take charge of their own health! Once they turn 18, all correspondence regarding their health will be directed towards them – and shared with you only with their consent

Questions?

301-279-6750

15204 Omega Drive