Under what conditions is it better not to send a child to school in winter?
Sniazhana Kauryha, head of the Minsk City Health Center, told BelTA about the conditions under which it is better to keep a child home and not send them to school.
Illustrative photo: AP Photo David Zalubowski
According to the expert, unfavorable weather conditions are determined at the legislative level. Local authorities can decide to limit or completely cancel school classes.
"Regarding general approaches, as a rule, classes are canceled at temperatures of minus 25 degrees and wind speeds of 3 m/s or more. How the child gets to school is also taken into account. If they have to cover a long distance, then, of course, it's better to stay home," added the head of the center.
Sniazhana Kauryha reminded that parents are primarily responsible for their children. The medic urged to monitor the child's condition on a specific day and decide if they are ready for extreme weather conditions.
"You need to consider whether they have respiratory infections, acute or chronic diseases that may worsen during the cold season. Attention should be paid to the state of the cardiovascular and urinary systems. If there are certain problems, the child must stay home," she noted.
Thorough preparation is necessary before going outside.
"First of all, this is dietary preparation. In the cold, the human body expends more calories than usual. A child must have breakfast, and during bad weather, before attending school classes, it is important to increase caloric intake by 250-300 kcal.
If breakfast usually accounted for, for example, 25% of the total calories, it can be increased to 35%. Food should be high in carbohydrates and fats. Breakfast should be eaten 30-40 minutes before leaving," the medic emphasized.
The most exposed organ is the skin. The expert reminds: it needs to be prepared at least an hour and a half before going out into the frost. Creams should have a denser consistency, and time is needed for them to be well absorbed.
Clothing should be multi-layered and protective, made as much as possible from natural materials, and footwear should be stable, with a ribbed, non-slip sole and a small heel.
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