Dr. Elif ERDEM ÖZCAN, speaking of probiotics and prebiotics; She started by talking about the effects of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin D, on adults and especially children in order to protect the immune system and general health. She stated that as a necessity of the pandemic process, children's eating habits started to change with the increase in the amount of time they spend in front of the computer. She emphasized the decrease in muscle mass and increase in fat mass with inactivity. She emphasized the necessity of movement and sports in addition to healthy nutrition and said, "There must be a sporting activity in children's lives," and offered parents games that include physical activity with their children.
Again, stating that there was an increase in the screen time and screen exposure of their children due to the pandemic and closure, ÖZCAN made the analogy of the "caregiver" for the screens and talked about the negative effects on the development of children. She mentioned that the pandemic has increased the workload on mothers in general and said, "To increase the immunity of children, it is necessary to reduce the psychological burden of mothers.". Another negative effect of the pandemic on children is the disruption of children's sleep patterns; For this reason, she stated that the growth hormone is not secreted in sufficient amounts and the immune systems are not sufficiently supported. She stated that another factor that supports the immune system is routine controls and vaccination, and talked about the importance of the vaccine.
She stated that the delays noticed during the routine checks during the vaccinations were preventive. She emphasized the negative effects of the lack of stimuli created by the pandemic on children and stated that these effects may appear in the future with symptoms such as speech disorder and hyperactivity. She added that the endorphin hormone released during love, affection and play also has an effect on the immune system of children. Emphasizing the role of children as carriers of Covid-19, ÖZCAN said that adult immunization is important in terms of protecting child health and preventing the transmission of Covid-19 to children. Regarding the opening of schools, she suggested that children should attend school if she and/or the people living in the same house did not have a chronic disease and emphasized the positive aspects of formal education. She continued by emphasizing that parents should teach hygiene rules while sending their children to school. She said that the lack of social relations during the pandemic process affects children in adolescence negatively and emphasized that adolescent children should also be supported in terms of love and compassion during this process.
Dr.Elif ERDEM ÖZCAN concluded her speech by saying that health workers have a great role in raising awareness of parents on all these issues.
