Parents have been urged to get in early and book their children into free ‘back-to-school’ health checks at the QUT Health Clinics on January 10, 11 and 12.
This free public service at Kelvin Grove is for school-age kids and offers foot checks, vision screening, nutrition assessments, dietary advice, and education and development assessments.
Families can book in for one check, a few or all.
The checks are done by the university’s team of health professionals and students in podiatry, optometry, nutrition and dietetics, and psychology and counselling.
QUT Health Clinics manager Helen Jimmieson said the clinics would be closed over the Christmas-New Year break so parents should get in early and book their children in now for the free January checks.
“The back-to-school health checks have been very popular over the last few years and often book out,” she said.
“Parents who would like to book in their children for a free check in January can call 3138 9777.”
The QUT Health Clinics have been providing free and low-cost services to the public for more than eight years.
In 2015, about 600 supervised students from QUT’s Faculty of Health did a total of more than 100,000 clinical placement hours at the QUT Health Clinics as part of their real-world training.
For more details on services at the QUT Health Clinics, visit www.healthclinics.qut.edu.au.
Red flags – kids’ vision problems:
- rubbing eyes
- squinting
- headaches
- concentration difficulties
- difficulty reading blackboard
Red flags – kids’ podiatry problems:
- foot/ankle pain
- sore legs
- tripping and/or falling
- family history of foot problems
- asymmetry (uneven function) of the feet or legs
- medical conditions that can affect the feet
Healthy lunch box tips:
- Include a serve of whole fruit. It’s cheap and healthy!
- Try raw carrot sticks and green beans (kids often prefer raw to cooked) and cherry tomatoes. Sneak some lettuce or avocado into sandwiches.
- Include a frozen milk drink (provides a serve of dairy and help keeps lunchbox cool).
- Put a food chart on the fridge to encourage fussy eaters to make their own lunchbox choices from each group.
Media contact: Mechelle McMahon, QUT media officer, media@qut.edu.au
