The August exodus empties the cities and the African anticyclone heats them up. With “the risk of a new lockdown” for Italians who will spend the rest of the summer at home. Between the closure that lowers the shutters of commercial and service activities, and the heat that discourages going out, the danger is to “repeat 2020”, when Covid raged, periodically closing the entire country within the domestic walls. A scenario “absolutely to be avoided” for pediatrician Italo Farnetani. The expert, interviewed by Adnkronos Salute, fears “dangers for the psyche and health especially of children” who will not go on vacation. And there are quite a few: “Among families with minor children, a third cannot afford a week’s vacation away from home” and “the share rises to 50% if 3 or more children live in the family unit”, calculated the Openpolis foundation. The estimate refers to the pandemic years, but it gives an idea. For many, too many, the ‘August holidays’ are nothing more than the title of an old film.
“In the coming days we expect a further rise in temperatures and desert in the city – observes the expert, full professor of Pediatrics at the Ludes-United Campus of Malta University – Those who do not go on holiday risk finding themselves living another 2020: locked in the house with the air conditioning on, emptiness all around. But together with the lockdown, the psychological and physical problems of that time could also be replicated: the interruption of social life with the negative effects that isolation brings with it, a sedentary lifestyle with the risk of being overweight and obese, the temptation to spend all your time in front of a screen, be it a smartphone or tablet, a computer or a TV. We must avoid it, prevent this particularly insidious danger for the little ones”. What to do?
“First of all, since going out is allowed since the ‘August lockdown’, the first piece of advice” from the doctor “is to stay outdoors as much as possible: go to the pool and stay there as long as you can, to find refreshment even in the hottest hours, or if you don’t live far from the sea, plan healthy day trips to the beach. This way, children will also be able to do physical activity, essential at all ages and in all periods of the year, and they will meet peers to socialize with. For outings in the city, second advice”, Farnetani recommends planning them “in the coolest hours of the day: a walk in the morning, a meeting with friends out in the evening, also to fall asleep better once you get home”. Maybe with the help of a little air conditioning: with judgment, but “it should be used because air conditioning is only harmful to those who don’t have it”, smiles the pediatrician. And then “get together, that’s the third piece of advice. Let’s not limit our contact with others to social media, but let’s invite those who are there to our homes, let’s organize meetings in open places or a nice picnic, even better if in the mountains or somewhere cool”.
The fourth and final piece of advice from the pediatrician concerns nutrition. “Let’s remember that heat depresses appetite, unlike cold that enhances it. So let’s try to ensure that children have a sufficient nutritional intake that must never be in excess, to avoid overweight and obesity, but not insufficient either, to avoid deficiencies,” warns Farnetani.
The doctor therefore suggests how to gratify the palates of children ‘orphaned by vacation’. “From various studies that I have conducted – he explains – the foods most loved by children in the summer emerge. First of all, green light to fruit, which in addition to the nutritional intake also ensures an introduction of liquids. At the top of children’s preferences is watermelon that almost everyone likes, followed by grapes. Ice cream is also good: chocolate and stracciatella are the favorite flavors; pistachio, strawberry and fiordilatte follow in order”. And then “pizza, always appreciated and also suitable for summer. Children under 6 like margherita, while after 6 years of age pizza with sausages is added to the preferences”. To fill up on calcium and strengthen bones in the development phase, the expert recommends “parmesan cheese that all children in all Italian regions like”. As for “chocolate spread, always a favorite among children, it’s good for breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day at any time of the year.”
Finally, “the most important thing is to drink, especially when it’s very hot and you lose a lot of fluids through sweating. Parents should always have bottles of water available, still or sparkling, better if fresh. Other drinks are also fine, always with the aim of ensuring that children introduce fluids and stay hydrated. You should never wait for them to be thirsty, for them to ask for a drink, because the location – concludes the pediatrician – is already a sign of dehydration and therefore must be prevented”.
