I wish for everyone for everyone to be healthy, caring and succcessful. But this is not always the case.

Birth Conditions: Not everyone is born with good health. I was born in 1955, 6 weeks early, weighing 4Lbs. 11.5 ounces. I spent 30 days in the hospital, and was born with a deformed rib cage. My older brother was even more malformed than I, and died a few hours after birth. 

Available healthcare and family commitment to children's health: A lot of pioneer babies died because of a lack of doctors, and too many societies allow unwanted babies to be neglected.  Addicted parents who abuse drugs and alcohol, help birth defects happen.

Environmental factors: Children who survived Hiroshima grew up differently than Japanese children that lived 500 miles away. 

This is an extreme example, but a good illustration. Farm kids that grew up around farm chemicals in the 1950s and ‘60s are now dying of brain cancer and the like. 

Lifestyle choices: I personally know a lot of people with injuries, physical disabilities, diseases and addictions which are the results of lifestyle choices they have made. My refusal to use a safety guard on a table saw has cost me much through the years. 

Age: Our bodies wear out. Our age and how hard we use our bodies, help decide our health.

In this section, we will talk about health issues that your classmates may have, so you can understand them better. 

We will also look at how your lifestyle choices as a young person can affect your adult health. 

Eric J. Rose 

middlegrademysteries.com 

photo: Health Building, Fulton Co, GA