SEPTEMBER 2019 75COMPILED BY NOLWAZI DHLAMINI PHOTOS: STOCK.ADOBE.COM THE INFORMATION ON THESE PAGES IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS AND
TREATMENT.ALWAYSCONSULTYOURGPORADOCTORFORSPECIFICINFORMATIONREGARDINGYOURCHILDREN’SHEALTH.STOCKISTSONPAGE 108IS BAREFOOT
better?No parent has an immediate solution to all problems at all times. These titles
cover very important health issues affecting children worldwide.ENJOYING FOOD WITHOUT FEAR
Many parents may find themselves paralysed with
confusion and fear when their child’s diagnosed with
an allergy. In South Africa, at least 2.5% of children
have a food allergy. Up to 20% of patients with
allergies struggle daily with the fear of an asthma
attack, anaphylactic shock or even death from an
allergic reaction. A passionate team comprising a
paediatric dietician (Kath Megaw), an allergy specialist
(Dr Sarah Karabus) and occupational therapist (Meg
Faure) have developed a practical way to guide you.
Their book provides information and tips on how to
live and thrive with allergies, explaining what causes them, how to prevent
them, dealing with picky eating and how to protect your child from serious
reactions. With over 70 delicious recipes using simple ingredients, this book
belongs in the kitchen of every parent whose child has allergies. Officially
endorsed by the Allergy Foundation of SA (AFSA), Allergy Sense (Quivertree)
is available from good bookstores nationwide and online outlets for R395.Are you always fighting with your children
to keep their shoes on? Well, you may no
longer need to because according to a study
by Stellenbosch University, barefoot is better
for certain aspects of their development. The
researchers found that kids who grow up not
wearing shoes when playing outside or at
school have better balancing and jumping skills,
especially in the six- to 10-year age bracket.
The study was a collaboration between the
university’s Sports Science Department, within
the Faculty of Education, and the Universities
of Jena and Hamburg in Germany. The aim was
to determine how the development of motor
performance during childhood is affected by
wearing shoes versus going barefoot.
A total of 385 habitually barefoot children and
425 shoe-wearing children aged six to 18 from
the Western Cape and northern Germany were
tested for balance, speed and jumping distance.
While many South African kids are used to
walking barefoot all the time, except on formal
occasions, German kids wear shoes to school and
during most of their recreational activities.
Although all the children in the study were
active and healthy, the South African group did
better in two out of three tests, namely walking
backwards on balance beams that were 6cm‚
4.5cm and 3cm wide and jumping further than
their European counterparts. However, the
German kids were faster in a 20m sprint test.
The research was based on the premise that
growing up barefoot impacts posture, gait and
even physical foot structure. Barefoot children
tend to develop higher arches and have wider
feet, which makes for better balance.MAKING LIFE EASIER
WHEN KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO TRAUMA
Far too often, children and youth are traumatised by
experiences such as bullying, exposure to drugs and
alcohol, crime and mental health problems. They can
suffer these events both directly and indirectly (from
surfing the Internet, watching TV or talking to friends).
Working With Trauma-Exposed Children
and Adolescents: Evidence-Based and Age-
Appropriate Practices (edited by Joanna Pozzulo
and Craig Bennell) addresses how to help school-
aged kids deal with traumatic events to reach the
most positive outcomes.
This collection of articles was written by academics and professionals
working in the field and provides the most current, evidence-based research
and advice on how to respond to traumatic issues such as bullying, substance
and sexual abuse, ostracism, gender identity problems, stranger danger and
disruptive childhood behaviours. Available from Routledge.com for R286.