Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit
Section I: Anticipatory Guidance and Environmental Health
What Is Anticipatory Guidance?
Anticipatory guidance is given by the health care provider to assist parents or guardians in the understanding of the expected growth and development of their children.
Anticipatory guidance, specific to the age of the patient, includes information about the benefits of healthy lifestyles and practices that promote injury and disease prevention.
Common examples of anticipatory guidance include reminding parents to have their children use bicycle helmets and to use sunscreen.
Most physicians realize the importance of anticipatory guidance despite the serious time limitation they have.
What are the most important components of anticipatory guidance during the preschool years?
Anticipatory guidance includes teaching parents what to expect in the months between well-child visits. Important anticipatory guidance includes the expected achievement of developmental milestones, nutritional guidance, and injury prevention.
What is included in anticipatory guidance?
Anticipatory guidance, specific to the age of the patient, includes information about the benefits of healthy lifestyles and practices that promote injury and disease prevention. Common examples of anticipatory guidance include reminding parents to have their children use bicycle helmets and to use sunscreen.
What is anticipatory guidance pediatrics?
Anticipatory guidance (or preventive counseling) is the advice pediatricians provide to avoid problems that could occur in the future. Topics such as nutrition, injury prevention, behavior management, developmental stimulation, sex education, and general health education all may be covered during every visit.
What is anticipatory guidance for pregnancy?
Anticipatory guidance, as defined by Nowak and Casamassimo[3 is the “process of providing information about the children to their parents by alerting them to impending changes, teaching them their role in maximizing their children's developmental potential, and identifying their children's special needs.”