Doctor knows best

A pediatrician may look for signs of other health risks - such as smoking - as you approach your teens.

[Times photo: Cherie Diez] As part of a recent exam, Dr. Dawn Zitman talks to Jessie Kobiolka, 12, about her eating habits, friends, grades, physical activity and whether she wears a seat belt. Jessie’s mom, Beverly Kobiolka, right, listens in.

Starting from the day you are born, you visit your doctor to make sure you are healthy and growing well. Before you're a preteen, the visits are pretty routine. The doctors give you shots, listen to your breathing and poke you.

But now you're getting older, and your visits are different. The poking is still there, but now doctors look for different things, such as social problems, not fitting in at school or peer pressure, and eating disorders.

Dawn Zitman is a pediatrician in St. Petersburg who likes working with preteens and teenagers because of the challenges they present.

"It's important to find out problems early," she says. "I tend to spend more time with the preteen age group, asking questions."

When her patients reach that age, she asks the parent to leave the room for a while during the physical if she suspects the patient is making bad choices or decisions that affect his or her health.

She asks each boy or girl a few general questions to determine if there are any social problems, depression or other unexpected issues at school.

Zitman has had patients younger than 16 who smoked and drank alcohol. One 13-year-old was smoking cigarettes, it turned out, with her parent's consent. They were smoking together.

"These kind of behaviors (smoking and drinking) are the most dangerous because they affect you for your whole life," Zitman said.

When Zitman thinks thereis a problem, she tries to make suggestions rather than preach.

But some things don't change. And one thing still makes almost every kid cringe when they hear the word: shots.

The public school system requires certain immunizations before you can enter certain grades.

To enter seventh grade, you must be up-to-date on Hepatitis B series, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccines. Although these names sound like another language, they are important to your health and protect you from things like chicken pox and polio. However, tetanus and MMR are given generally after you turn 11, while varicella and the hepatitis series usually are already given. Many doctors also recommend a yearly flu shot.

Many sixth-graders don't know that they have to get shots before seventh grade. Some kids know, but aren't happy about it.

"I really, really hate shots," said Allison Warren, who just finished sixth grade at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg.

Leslie LeVine, who will enter seventh grade at John Hopkins Middle School in the fall, said, "I think that what shots do is good, but they hurt a lot."

Sam Youngerman, who finished sixth grade at Southside Fundamental, knew that he had to get shots but said they don't bother him anymore. "When I was little I couldn't stand them, but now I'm used to them, so it's not as bad," he said.

Most boys don't agree with Sam on that subject, Zitman says.

"Most (preteen) kids are okay about getting shots, but the boys are usually the most fearful," Zitman said, grinning. "They play football, but sometimes they cry when a needle comes in the room!"

"By the time you're 2, you've had about 15 shots," Zitman points out. "So by the time you're a preteen, the worst is over."

While this story has mostly focused on preteens, they are the age group least often seen at the doctor's office. The most common are kids 11 and younger because after the seventh grade, kids are not really required to come back. Most doctors don't want children to stop coming, though.

"I like to see the kids every year," Zitman said.

- Jocelyn Howard, 12, just finished sixth grade at Bay Point Middle School in St. Petersburg.

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