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You can help maintain your child's health and fitness with smart and easy choices. Ensuring a healthy diet, getting exercise for physical fitness, staying informed about child health issues, and securing child health insurance are four ways everyone can promote their children's health.

eat well
Diet is key to maintaining child health. What children eat has long-term effects on their development. Children's health is improved through a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, proteins and dairy or other sources of calcium. Packing sliced apples or yogurt for school snacks is a plus for the health of your child. Healthy alternatives to sugary and fatty snacks can be affordable and easy to prepare.

Parents and guardians should also be aware of the effects of chemical additives to foods. Buying some organic produce, especially leafy vegetables, potatoes and apples, can reduce the threat of agricultural chemicals to your child's health.

stay active
Keeping children physically fit has a lot of pluses for child health. Children who have good health and fitness are generally happier and more successful. Healthy and fit children also have long-term benefits, such as stronger bones in old age, lower incidence of diabetes, and fewer age-related complications.

Keeping up your child's health and fitness does not have to be a major investment of time and money. Sharing any outdoor activity is usually a good way to get children going. Your hobbies and even chores can turn into discoveries and adventures for younger children. Older children will want to range farther from home, for example by joining a sports team. Parents can support this healthy activity for their children by getting involved and bringing healthy options to their children. If the weather is keeping you indoors, help your children stay physically fit by going to a children's museum, an indoor cultural event, or even a mall for a few hours to walk around. Just as long as you stay away from the food court.

educate yourself
You can educate yourself about many child health issues. The key is to stay as informed as you can about your child's health and what is affecting it, and to find a doctor you can trust to listen to you, and help you understand. Parents and guardians can learn about child health issues at many websites. Two good places to start are the National Institutes of Health, http://www.nih.gov/, and the online edition of the Merck Manual, http://www.merck.com/mmpe/. These should be starting points that help you identify child health issues and understand options available to you. Talk with your pediatrician about sure signs your child needs medical care. For everything else, a little reading can help you maintain your child's health without seeing a doctor for every ailment.

get covered
Although conditions are changing for the worse, many American workers still receive child health insurance through work. If available, this is usually the best option. Workers usually cover their children more affordably through an HMO plan than a PPO plan, but every plan is different, and you should get advice on your situation from your human resources manager. You can also check with your colleagues about how their choices have worked out.

Children whose family income is even a little above their state's poverty level are eligible for discounted or free insurance for children through Medicaid. The free child health insurance program is called "SCHIP," and eligibility is different in each state. Find out whether you are eligible through the US Department of Health & Human Services at http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/s tates.asp. Then, contact your state SCHIP administrators or a health advocate for application procedures and advice.

Learn more about this author, Stephen Shea.
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