Start young

Meningitis risk starts to increase in early adolescence³ so lay the groundwork for healthy behavior beforehand. If your kids learn to be comfortable talking about health topics early, they will be more likely to be open with you with other serious issues when they get older.

Start the conversation

Most kids don’t think a lot about their health. Unless a friend or schoolmate has had meningitis, they most likely have no idea that the threat exists. If you open up the conversation, you may be surprised how interested they are in taking steps to protect their health.

Talk about your values

Some of the activities that may lead to the spread of meningitis may be things that you believe are inappropriate for your children. You can use the conversation as an opportunity to help your children understand why you feel this way. Although they may not show it, most kids want to know where their parents stand on tricky issues.

Stress

Adults deal with stress all the time. What we may not realize is that teens do, too. Adolescence can be a difficult time, with schoolwork, peer pressure, and extracurricular activities all weighing on teens’ minds. If they don’t know how to manage this stress, it can lead to emotional and physical problems.

Stress can weaken the immune system, which may make a person more prone to health problems and infections such as meningitis.²²

Make sure teens have a “relief valve” for their stress. Playing sports, doing yoga, or simply talking to a friend, parent, or counselor are all ways to relieve stress.

Diet and Nutrition

A balanced diet is essential for everyone’s health. Many teenagers don’t eat a very healthful diet. They eat "on the run" and often choose fast food over more nutritionally complete meals. Poor eating habits can lead to obesity and nutritional deficiencies and can weaken the immune system. This may make it easier to become infected with the bacteria that cause meningitis.

Make sure your child understands why it’s important to eat a balanced diet. And set a good example by doing so yourself.

Sleep

Today’s teenagers are busier than ever. After-school activities, homework, the Internet, and TV-watching can keep kids up late at night. They get up early to make it to school, but they are operating with less sleep than they really need. They’re not fully alert when they need to be, which can result in poor grades, traffic accidents, and even emotional problems.²³ Lack of sleep may also weaken the immune system, which may make it easier to catch communicable diseases such as meningitis.

Teens need to know that burning the midnight oil isn’t doing them any good. Help them prioritize so they can get their homework done, have some fun, and still get a good night’s sleep.

Smoking

Most of us already know that smoking is bad for us. You’ve probably already told your child that smoking can lead to lung cancer and other health problems and have encouraged them not to smoke.

What you probably have not heard is that smoking also may possibly increase a person's risk for meningitis. Doctors do not know exactly why this happens, but research has shown a relationship between smoking and meningitis infection.³ Studies have also shown that children under 18 years of age whose mothers smoke have an increased risk for catching meningitis.²⁴

If you smoke, set a good example by quitting — it’s good for everyone’s health.

Drinking Alcohol

It’s an unfortunate fact that many underage students drink alcohol. These young adults need to be aware that alcohol can cause many problems. In the short term, alcohol can impair judgment, leading to risky behaviors. In the long term, it can lead to liver damage.

Studies of several meningitis outbreaks have also found that alcohol is a risk factor for becoming infected.⁴ Students should be encouraged to avoid drinking, or to keep drinking to a minimum and not share glasses or bottles with another person.

Sex

If you’ve been talking to your kids all along about health issues, you’ve probably already talked to them about sex. Most parents have told their kids about the importance of protecting themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.

Young adults also need to be aware that the intimacy that goes along with sex can also spread meningitis. This is because the bacteria that cause meningitis may be present in saliva.² Of course you may not be able to prevent your child from having personal contact such as kissing. But you can remind him or her to avoid contact with a person who is sick. Also make sure your child knows to avoid contact when he or she is feeling sick, and to be on the lookout for symptoms that may be caused by meningitis.