An uninitiated person can easily get confused in medical terms. From misunderstanding, panic is born. But it’s much more correct not to panic, but to understand the situation. Just imagine, for example, a child undergoes a medical examination and sees a strange entry in the card: “health group 3”. Is something wrong with the child? Does he need help? What does that mean? Let's try to figure it out.
The concept of "health group"
At birth, the pediatrician examines the baby and makes a comprehensive assessment of his health. Each infant is assigned a specific group. By itself, this term is conditional. It includes a combination of many characteristics that describe the general physiological state of health.
There are five health groups in total. Denote them in Roman or Arabic numerals. The Ministry of Health has developed a special “Instruction for a comprehensive assessment of the health status of minors”, which determines the procedure for assigning a health group. Doctors act according to this instruction, examining children and adolescents until they reach 17 years of age. Assessment of the condition is done at the current moment, that is, at the time of the inspection. At the same time, acute diseases are not taken into account, and past diseases are only those that have acquired a chronic form.
Who belongs to the 3rd group of health
Health group 3 in children means that the child has a chronic disease with the possibility of exacerbations. But it is in remission. Group 3 is characterized by the preservation or compensation of the functions of organs, but sometimes exacerbations cause a temporary limitation of disability. This also includes children with physical disabilities or the consequences of injuries (operations), the degree of which allows them to study in ordinary schools and engage in physical labor.
Health group 3 in children can mean normal physical development with excess or deficiency of body weight. This also includes children and adolescents with growth below normal. The nervous system and mental development in representatives of this group are generally normal, but sometimes, according to these criteria, children are slightly behind.
When parents come across the concept of a “health group”
If the child has obvious physiological and / or psychological abnormalities that pose a threat not only to health, but to life in general, then parents are consulted about his condition immediately. This applies to children from 4 and 5 health groups. Doctors may not have strong fears regarding children from groups 1, 2, and 3 (children from group 1 are completely healthy, and out of 2 - they have no restrictions for playing sports and physical labor). And since there are no fears, the doctor who marked the health group in the medical record may forget to tell parents about it. This happens quite often.
It turns out, despite the fact that the health group 3 in children is from birth, many parents do not even know this. They pay attention to the health group of their child when they undergo a medical examination at registration in kindergarten. Most often this happens in 2-3 years. If the child has not attended preschool institutions, then information may catch the eye of parents when applying for school or receiving certificates for classes in sports sections.
However, if chronic problems often worsen, then attentive parents simply cannot know about them.
Examples of diseases assigned to the 3rd group of health
Parents who want to understand what the 3rd group of health in a child means should understand that this is the so-called risk group. The group includes children with obvious pathologies and deviations of physical development. Most often, its representatives have the following chronic diagnoses:
- gastritis;
- asthma;
- enlarged nasopharyngeal tonsils (adenoids);
- lack of hemoglobin in the blood (anemia);
- kidney disease
- chronic form of bronchitis;
- speech impairment (stuttering);
- initial, transverse or longitudinal flat feet;
- allergies and so on.
This is an approximate list of diseases that can cause a child to be assigned to group 3.
Can a child's health group change?
The 3rd group of health includes children who will be under mandatory medical supervision. Depending on how their disease progresses, they will be assigned consultations at various intervals. If children or adolescents undergo the necessary treatment, after which the disease does not appear for a long time, during which the period of dispensary observation of the patient expires, then the doctor can transfer the child from 3 to 2 health groups. This will mean that the doctor came to the conclusion of getting rid of the chronic disease, and at the moment the child is healthy.
Most often, with age, children manage to get rid of allergies, anemia, adenoid and pyelonephritis.
Doing sports
Despite the fact that children's health group 3 allows them to attend regular school, physical education and sports are limited for them. To begin, consider the issues related to sports:
- for children of group 3, it is recommended to limit strength training, such as weightlifting, weightlifting (powerlifting) or weight lifting;
- traumatic sports such as boxing, wrestling, figure skating, gymnastics, skiing and so on are undesirable;
- it is dangerous to engage in those sports that require the continued presence of children in places with high or low humidity, in mountainous or swampy areas.
Wishing to make their child healthy, parents must consult with a specialist. It’s also important to follow common sense, it is necessary to choose a sport based on its popularity or situational fashion, but on the basis of the capabilities of your child.
3rd group of health in a child. Physical education at school
The presence of chronic diseases in a child, even in remission, suggests that attending regular physical education lessons is contraindicated for him. Such children are identified in preparatory groups for physical education.
In total, physical education at school is divided into 3 types:
- basic, for completely healthy children;
- preparatory, for children with minor problems;
- special, for children with significant disabilities or complete exemption from classes.
In the preparatory group, children are engaged in a special curriculum. They pass lightweight standards in accordance with the permission of doctors. The teacher evaluates not so much sports achievements as the desire to engage and theoretical knowledge.
The child’s health group 3 (preparatory) allows for warm-ups, easy running, a set of general strengthening exercises with gymnastic sticks, a simple obstacle course, exercises with the ball, and outdoor games. In addition, to get an assessment, children can make presentations, make presentations on sports topics, write essays, or perform other assigned tasks.
How to behave to parents
If the baby or teenager is assigned to the 3rd group of health, then it will be useful for parents to get additional medical advice. A pediatrician can not only give direction, but also recommend the best specialists working in the field of your child’s problems. Do not be afraid to lose time, hand over all the suggested tests, specify exactly which deviations were recorded by the doctor. Come on time for dispensary examinations and follow the recommendations. Get the most out of your potential risks and learn how to avoid them.
We have already determined what the 3rd group of health in a child means. This is not a cause for panic, but a need for a more careful attitude. Many chronic diseases are treatable, which means that your child can get rid of them. But with the wrong approach or ignoring the problem, his condition may worsen, and the child will be transferred from 3 to 4 health groups.