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Copyright of Jordanian Educational Journal is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Copyright of GeSec: Revista de Gestao e Secretariado is the property of Sindicato das Secretarias e Secretarios do Estado de Sao Paulo (SINSESP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

The School Health Unit (UKS) program has been implemented since 1984. Although this program has been done yearly, the children's health status has not been optimized yet. Studies have been done to evaluate this program, however very limited studies have been done to explore the stakeholders of the program, their roles, and their conflicts, especially at the school level. This study aimed to stakeholder analysis of school health programs at school level. This was a qualitative case study of 4 elementary schools in North Jakarta. Data collection was carried out by means of in-depth interviews. Stakeholder analysis was performed by using steps which consist of identifying stakeholders, identifying interests, analyzing the influence of identified stakeholders and identifying risks, and anticipating risk management. Stakeholder mapping is done using the Grid mapping model. This study shows that in private primary schools, the most influential actors were foundations, namely as “context setters”. In public elementary schools, UKS teachers were the “subjects” and the education authorities were the powerful party in the development of infrastructure. This study also found that there was a conflict between the interests and influence of the main stakeholders, namely foundations and Education Authorities. Foundations and Education Authorities were not directly involved in implementing UKS in schools. This research concludes that the actors have not been maximal in carrying out their roles in the UKS policy at elementary schools in North Jakarta. Cooperation between actors needs to be improved. more...

BackgroundAtrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart disease that often presents without symptoms or murmurs. If left untreated, children with ASD can develop comorbidities in adulthood. In Japan, school electrocardiography (ECG) screening has been implemented for all 1st, 7th, and 10th graders. However, the impact of this program in detecting children with ASD is unknown.MethodsThis is a retrospective study that analyzed consecutive patients with ASD who underwent catheterization for surgical or catheter closure at ≤18 years of age during 2009–2019 at a tertiary referral center in Japan.ResultsOf the overall 116 patients with ASD (median age: 3.0 years of age at diagnosis and 8.9 years at catheterization), 43 (37%) were prompted by the ECG screening (Screening group), while the remaining 73 (63%) were by other findings (Non-screening group). Of the 49 patients diagnosed at ≥6 years of age, 43 (88%) were prompted by the ECG screening, with the 3 corresponding peaks of the number of patients at diagnosis. Compared with the non-screening group, the screening group exhibited similar levels of hemodynamic parameters but had a lower proportion of audible heart murmur, which were mainly prompted by the health care and health checkups in infancy or preschool period. Patients positive for a composite parameter (rsR' type of iRBBB, inverted T in V4, or ST depression in the aVF lead) accounted for 79% of the screening group at catheterization, each of which was correlated with hemodynamic parameters in the overall patients.ConclusionsThe present study shows that school ECG screening detects otherwise unrecognized ASD, which prompted the diagnosis of the majority of patients at school age and >one-third of overall patients in Japan. These findings suggest that ECG screening program could be an effective strategy for detecting hemodynamically significant ASD in students, who are asymptomatic and murmurless. more...

The study aimed to analyze the implementation of the School Health Program, identifying the actions developed, as well as factors that influence professional practice in daily life and strategies adopted by health professionals in view of the limitations found. The exploratory-descriptive case study method was used, with a qualitative approach. The study was carried out with 20 health professionals, program directors, in a family clinic in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, containing specific questions and open questions that discussed the topic. Data were analyzed using the Bardin technique. The results were grouped into categories and found the predominance of actions focused on biological and hygienist determinants, confirming the distance from the expanded concept of health in health promotion practices. The problems encountered refer to the scarcity of material and human resources, lack of training and continuing education, lack of planning and organizational infrastructure, violence in the territory, in addition to the pandemic period experienced during the study. On the other hand, the consolidation of the relationship between health and school emerged, demonstrating the presence of intersectoral dialogue and the incorporation of health actions in the school routine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Schools provide a crucial platform for health and well-being interventions targeting children and adolescents. Early promotive and preventive initiatives are vital for enabling children and adolescents to reach their optimal potential, thereby adding to the country's social return-on-investment, creating a favourable demographic dividend. This review analyses the evolution of school health initiatives in India, including the current curriculum proposed under the Ayushman Bharat program. The manuscript highlights the challenges, and gaps in implementation of the current school health programs and proposes potential pathways for bridging these gaps for promotion of adolescent well-being. The review also discusses the concept of Health Promoting Schools and suggests adaptations and key recommendations to Indian context regarding 'how' to translate it into on-field reality based on the appraisal of successful case studies from other countries. Though India started school health services more than 100 y ago, the school health programmes in most Indian states are weak and fragmented, with piecemeal health screening with minimal focus on health promotion and well-being. The recently launched School Health and Wellness initiative under the Ayushman Bharat program has lots of promise. However, it needs to be translated into effective implementation to prevent it from meeting the fate of its forerunner programs. The school health program needs to move beyond the screening centric approach and be aspirational and holistic in nature focusing upon the overall well-being of the adolescents. Concerted efforts through intersectoral convergence are needed to optimally utilise the platforms of schools for promotion of adolescent well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: School Health Program or UKS aims to improve students learning achievement by improving their health status including the fulfillment of nutrition so that they can grow and develop optimally. The nutritional problems of school-age children in Indonesia, according to Riskesdas 2018 data, are children with the short/stunting category reaching 30.7%, while those who are obese are 8% and anemic 26%. Nutritional problems in school children will affect the quality of human resources in the future. Objectives: This study examined the effect of promoting healthy and safe snacks by UKS’s cadres on increasing knowledge, attitudes, behavior of students and snack sellers. Materials and Methods: The first stage of research was training elementary school students UKS’s cadres who will become educators on promoting healthy and safe food consumption behavior. The second stage was assessed to 360 randomly selected students and 94 school vendors in 12 different schools. The intervention schools received a package of promotions delivered by UKS’s cadres while the comparison group received the poster. Data on knowledge, attitudes, behavior of students and food sellers were collected using a questionnaire instrument. The data were collected by the researchers assisted by 12 enumerators, 6 research field assistants and 12 teachers in charge of the research field. Bivariate analysis using t-test, Wilcoxon test, and Mann Whitney test were used to assess the differences between the groups. Results: After intervention by UKS.s cadres, there was a change in students' knowledge of 51.1% for knowledge of healthy snacks, 52.8% about safe snacks, 82.8% about formalin, 62.8% about borax, and 75.6% about Rhodamine B. Changes in the behavior of snack sellers, the highest percentage of changes in holding food with tools is 62.5% and not holding food after holding money is 54.2%. Increased change were significantly higher in the intervention groups than the comparison group (p more...

The Health at School Program is present in many Brazilian municipalities, with an expressive role of health professionals. Thus, the objective of this research is to analyze the Health at School Program from the point of view of teachers, especially those of natural sciences regarding the partnerships established between schools and health units, seeking to identify the place of education in the planning, execution and evaluation of the actions developed. Questionnaire was applied to teachers of DRE Pirituba/Jaraguá and analyzed with the Discourse of the Collective Subject. In all, 251 teachers participated representing 66 schools. The results suggest that the symbolic power of the white coat is present in the partnership between education and health, that the teachers are not involved in the planning, execution and evaluation of the program, that the actions have direct relationships with natural science contents and that the teachers should have a leading role in the partnership, especially those with natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Abstract Background Following the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures were part of the global public health response to limit community spread of the virus. In recent times, there has been an emphasis on safe school re-opening. This concept is likely to differ between developed and developing country settings. There are however no published studies on barriers hindering safe school re-opening within developing country contexts. This study evaluates aspects of the school health program (SHP) in some selected Nigerian schools that might relate to the pandemic control during school re-opening. Methods In 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the SHP of 146 registered primary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council in Abuja, Nigeria. These schools provided services to about 54,562 students. We used direct observational methods and interviewer-administered questionnaires to assess the SHP of each school. We compare SHP characteristics that might relate to COVID-19 control in schools across government-owned (public) and privately-owned (private) schools using a pre-defined framework. Results Public school to pupil ratios was more than six times that of private schools. Only 6.9% of all surveyed schools employed qualified health personnel. Although 8 in every 10 schools conducted health talks for communicable disease control, the use of temporary isolation and school-based immunization were low at 1.4 and 2.7% respectively. Pipe-borne water access was present in 4 of 10 schools, with public schools having more limited access than private schools (p = 0.009). Similarly, less proportion of public schools had access to soap for handwashing (p more...

This article is based on one of the research questions in a larger study that aimed to assess the impact of the school health program at elementary schools in Punjab, Pakistan. It explores whether the school health program was helpful in enhancing teachers’ knowledge regarding major health issues among school children - anaemia, iron deficiency, malnutrition, asthma and breathing problems, and seasonal illness. The study revealed some significant findings, which are discussed with reference to the previous literature; conclusions are reached and recommendations given to improve teachers’ knowledge and skills for improving school health. more...

Este estudo objetivou analisar as concepções e percepções dos atores sociais partícipes das ações implementadas no Programa Saúde na Escola, caracterizado pelo princípio da intersetorialidade, nos Sistemas Municipais de Ensino e de Saúde em Altamira - Pará, no período entre 2008-2019. Optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa na modalidade de pesquisa de campo. Os resultados apontaram que as concepções e percepções dos atores sociais partícipes desta pesquisa não discorrem na totalidade das diretrizes e ações estratégicas do programa, as quais são caracterizadas pelo princípio da intersetorialidade. Considera-se que explicitou contradições conflitantes ao planificado e preconizado pelas políticas públicas universais e locais. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: The oral health of children is a significant public health issue that considerably affects nutritional intake, growth and development, daily learning activities, sleep pattern, self-esteem, and quality of life. In Nigeria, limited progress has been made in reducing the prevalence and burden of oral health problems such as dental caries, Noma, and oral cancer due to absence of national data, inadequate budgetary allocation, dearth of personnel, poor policy framework/implementation, and challenges of care access. Lagos state has a large, diverse population, hampered by illiteracy and poverty, and school-based dental screening is a strategy that can potentially reduce the prevalence of oral diseases among a vulnerable population in resource-poor settings. This document proposes secondary prevention through screening for a significant proportion of children in Lagos State and will be a veritable source of Data for oral Health planning. Proposed Interventions: A draft policy document is proposed for the Ministry of health for legislation mandating a low-cost comprehensive oral health examination to screen every child admitted into Primary or Secondary School in any of the State Government-owned Schools in Lagos State. Each child will receive an oral health education leaflet and a duplicated annual dental screening form in addition to all the other requirements he will provide before being cleared for resumption when the academic year commences. The parents of the child will then be expected to present the form at any of the Lagos State-owned General hospitals for dental screening. The children will receive expedited attention and will not be kept waiting unnecessarily before being attended to. Students who have any form of dental disease will however be required to open a dental card at the clinic and have their treatments done as soon as possible. Except the dental treatment is found to be very expensive, the parents would be firmly encouraged to have the treatment done before the academic year commences and the form can be filled and signed. The school authorities would be notified if the parents cannot bear the cost and the ministry of health would be duly informed. Once the child is examined and found to be free of dental disease, the form can be filled and signed by the attending dental practitioner and duly stamped. A duplicate would be retained in a dedicated file in the dental clinic while the main form will be returned to the school. The schools will keep the forms in a dedicated file and at the end of each admission cycle, a report on the oral health status of the children for each school must be submitted to the Ministries of Education and Health. The preferred format for submission should be an excel spreadsheet containing the biodata and the summary of dental findings and treatment provided as applicable for each child. Evaluation: Short and long term evaluation will be done to assess coverage rate, the number of dental diseases identified, number of treatments done, the satisfaction of parents and children with the services while the cost-benefit analysis of the services will be determined using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of these analyses will be utilized to justify further government commitment of resources to this program. Conclusion: Strategies to reduce the burden of disease in developing countries must focus on policy design/implementation and preventive interventions. This proposed policy can help to decrease or eliminate barriers to access. It can also increase the number of children who will receive both preventive and curative oral care and also improve their knowledge of oral health. more...

BACKGROUND Health literacy impacts children's health and educational attainment. Therefore, determining the most appropriate pedagogical design is critical. The long‐term health benefits of health literacy for each child's life course further justify this imperative. School‐based health literacy programs are of interest internationally. METHODS: We brainstormed the search terms and established inclusion/exclusion criteria for this systematic review. We searched 2 databases (CINAHL, ERIC) following PRISMA guidelines. Three authors screened and sorted the findings. RESULTS: We identified 21 relevant studies from 629 retrieved. Few (6/21) studies were situated in the primary school setting. CONCLUSIONS: This review found a variety of project designs, evaluation methods, and conceptual models. Descriptive analysis of the final 21 papers highlighted the importance of multicomponent design (whole‐of‐school and curriculum), cross‐curricula integration, professional development for teachers, age of children, role of parents, and role of community. The results of this analysis may inform primary school program design in the future. Schools provide a logical setting for health literacy development. Despite the evidence that adolescence is too late, few studies have been situated in primary schools. Teachers lack confidence to teach health and need ongoing professional development. Parent, child, and community voices are essential for sustained engagement and program success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures were part of the global public health response to limit community spread of the virus. In recent times, there has been an emphasis on safe school re-opening. This concept is likely to differ between developed and developing country settings. There are however no published studies on barriers hindering safe school re-opening within developing country contexts. This study evaluates aspects of the school health program (SHP) in some selected Nigerian schools that might relate to the pandemic control during school re-opening.Methods: In 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the SHP of 146 registered primary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council in Abuja, Nigeria. These schools provided services to about 54,562 students. We used direct observational methods and interviewer-administered questionnaires to assess the SHP of each school. We compare SHP characteristics that might relate to COVID-19 control in schools across government-owned (public) and privately-owned (private) schools using a pre-defined framework.Results: Public school to pupil ratios was more than six times that of private schools. Only 6.9% of all surveyed schools employed qualified health personnel. Although 8 in every 10 schools conducted health talks for communicable disease control, the use of temporary isolation and school-based immunization were low at 1.4 and 2.7% respectively. Pipe-borne water access was present in 4 of 10 schools, with public schools having more limited access than private schools (p = 0.009). Similarly, less proportion of public schools had access to soap for handwashing (p < 0.001). Adequate classroom ventilation was present in 63% of surveyed schools, with private schools having more limited ventilation (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Overcrowding and infrastructural deficits within developing country contexts represent barriers to safe school re-opening during the COVID-19 pandemic. In these settings, there needs to be tailored and innovative strategies which consider local practical realities when designing the COVID-19 control programs during school re-opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Copyright of Journal of Elementary Education / Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje is the property of University of Maribor, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) more...

Background: The oral health of children is a significant public health issue that considerably affects nutritional intake, growth and development, daily learning activities, sleep pattern, self-esteem, and quality of life. In Nigeria, limited progress has been made in reducing the prevalence and burden of oral health problems such as dental caries, Noma, and oral cancer due to absence of national data, inadequate budgetary allocation, dearth of personnel, poor policy framework/implementation, and challenges of care access. Lagos state has a large, diverse population, hampered by illiteracy and poverty, and school-based dental screening is a strategy that can potentially reduce the prevalence of oral diseases among a vulnerable population in resource-poor settings. This document proposes secondary prevention through screening for a significant proportion of children in Lagos State and will be a veritable source of Data for oral Health planning. Proposed Interventions: A draft policy document is proposed for the Ministry of health for legislation mandating a low-cost comprehensive oral health examination to screen every child admitted into Primary or Secondary School in any of the State Government-owned Schools in Lagos State. Each child will receive an oral health education leaflet and a duplicated annual dental screening form in addition to all the other requirements he will provide before being cleared for resumption when the academic year commences. The parents of the child will then be expected to present the form at any of the Lagos State-owned General hospitals for dental screening. The children will receive expedited attention and will not be kept waiting unnecessarily before being attended to. Students who have any form of dental disease will however be required to open a dental card at the clinic and have their treatments done as soon as possible. Except the dental treatment is found to be very expensive, the parents would be firmly encouraged to have the treatment done before the academic year commences and the form can be filled and signed. The school authorities would be notified if the parents cannot bear the cost and the ministry of health would be duly informed. Once the child is examined and found to be free of dental disease, the form can be filled and signed by the attending dental practitioner and duly stamped. A duplicate would be retained in a dedicated file in the dental clinic while the main form will be returned to the school. The schools will keep the forms in a dedicated file and at the end of each admission cycle, a report on the oral health status of the children for each school must be submitted to the Ministries of Education and Health. The preferred format for submission should be an excel spreadsheet containing the biodata and the summary of dental findings and treatment provided as applicable for each child. Evaluation: Short and long term evaluation will be done to assess coverage rate, the number of dental diseases identified, number of treatments done, the satisfaction of parents and children with the services while the cost-benefit analysis of the services will be determined using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of these analyses will be utilized to justify further government commitment of resources to this program. Conclusion: Strategies to reduce the burden of disease in developing countries must focus on policy design/implementation and preventive interventions. This proposed policy can help to decrease or eliminate barriers to access. It can also increase the number of children who will receive both preventive and curative oral care and also improve their knowledge of oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: There is abundant evidence that the first and only School Health Policy (SHPo) in Nigeria was adopted in 2006, but no study has since evaluated the quality of implementation (QoI) in government and privately funded schools. This study was conducted to evaluate the QoI of the School Health Program (SHP) in public and private primary schools of a rural Local Government Area in Oyo State using the SHPo framework as a guide. Subjects and methods: A comparative-descriptive cross-sectional design was chosen. A two-stage sampling technique was used to select 46 primary schools in a rural area: 30 public and 16 private. An observational checklist was used to assess the five domains of the SHP, namely: School Health Services (SHS), Skills Based Health Education (SBHE), School Feeding Services (SFS), Healthful School Environment (HSE) and School, Home and Community Relationship (SHCR), as listed in the Nigerian SHPo framework. QoI was assessed by exploring the availability, suitability and functionality of basic provisions for SHP implementation. Results: The majority of schools (90% public; 87.5% private) had first-aid boxes, but they had no contents in 23.3% of public and 68.8% of private schools. In only one private school was evidence of periodic medical inspection. A school meal service was present in 93.3% of public and 18.8% of private schools. Only one private school practiced medical screening. Some had gender-sensitive toilets (81.3% private; 33.3% public). None of the schools had evidence of pre-employment medical and routine screening for non-communicable diseases for staff. Overall, around 50% of schools had poor QoI of the SHP (63.3% public; 25.0% private). Conclusion: QoI of the SHP in selected rural public and private primary schools was generally poor, but with better quality in private than public schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Introduction: Does the empowering school teachers in reflectory error screening reduced the burden of preventable cause of blind- ness? In most of the schools, eye check-up is done yearly at a time of school health week program. If we can able to empower school teacher to diagnose with appropriate technology of refractive error measurement we can reduced the encumbrance of refractive error. Does it easy as it sounds? Methodology: the study was non-randomised control trial done among school going children of 5 to 8 years of age done in rural area of Vadodara district. New model (screening of refractory er- ror by school teachers) was compared with standard model (screening of refractory error by medical doctors) to assure validity and reliability of screening model for identifying reflective error. Results: Kappa statistics was found 0.4482, which indicates weak agreement on comparison of both models. Sensitivity of new mod- el (31.25%) was also low as compared with standard model. Conclusion: Applicability of new model (refractive error screening by trained teachers) is not proven, as validity and reliability of new model was poor. more...

Background: School teachers in government schools are contribut- ing in eye screening of students through school health services. The private schools also need to contribute more in these services by raising the knowledge regarding vision, healthy practices for healthy eyes and vision as well as screening of the eyes for refrac- tive errors. The study aims to find the knowledge levels of private school teachers regarding healthy vision practices and eye screen- ing, train the teachers in eye screening and assess the level of im- provement in their knowledge after the training. Methods: 14 schools in the field practice areas of the department of Community Medicine were enrolled for the study. Two teachers from each school were randomly selected for training and assess- ment. Pre and post assessments were made on the teachers during the training workshop. The data thus collected was analysed using SPSS 20. Results: None of the schools had implemented the School Health Program. Knowledge among teachers was found to be poor in many aspects of eye and vision health which showed a remarkable improvement after the training (P values ranging from .003-.02). Conclusion: Private school teachers should be trained for eye screening and utilized for early identification of uncorrected re- fractive errors in children. more...

The Health and Education Ministries of Brazil launched the Health in School Program (Programa Saúde na Escola - PSE) in 2007. The purpose of the PSE is two-fold: articulate the actions of the education and health systems to identify risk factors and prevent them; and promote health education in the public elementary school system. In the health field, the self-regulation (SR) construct can contribute to the understanding of life habits which can affect the improvement of individuals' health. This research aims to present a program that promotes SR in health (SRH). This program (PSRH) includes topics on healthy eating and oral health from the PSE; it is grounded on the social cognitive framework and uses story tools to train 5th grade Brazilian students in SRH. The study consists of two phases. In Phase 1, teachers and health professionals participated in a training program on SRH, and in Phase 2, they will be expected to conduct an intervention in class to promote SRH. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: the Condition I group followed the PSE program, the Condition II group followed the PSRH (i.e., PSE plus the SRH program), and the control group (CG) did not enroll in either of the health promotion programs. For the baseline of the study, the following measures and instruments were applied: Body Mass Index (BMI), Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), Previous Day Food Questionnaire (PFDQ), and Declarative Knowledge for Health Instrument. Data indicated that the majority are eutrophic children, but preliminary outcomes showed high percentages of children that are overweight, obese and severely obese. Moreover, participants in all groups reported high consumption of ultraprocessed foods (e.g., soft drinks, artificial juices, and candies). Oral health data from the CI and CII groups showed a prevalence of regular oral hygiene, while the CG presented good oral hygiene. The implementation of both PSE and PSRH are expected to help reduce health problems in school, as well as the public expenditures with children's health (e.g., Obesity and oral diseases). more...

Introduction: Children are the foundation of a strong and healthy nation. Morbidity among school-going children adversely affects their normal growth and development and hence is a major public health concern. School health program was started as an important component of total health care delivery system in the country with a purpose of addressing the health needs of children. Aim: To assess the morbidity pattern and nutritional status among school children. Materials and Methods: Study design: A cross-sectional study. Study period: 1-year from 1 st July 2012 to 30 th June 2013. Study setting: 14 schools with a total strength of 909 children in a rural area of coastal Karnataka. Data collection: Health examination of the school children was carried out by a trained team. Data regarding anthropometric measurements, refractory error, medical problems and minor ailments were collected using a predesigned proforma. Results: A total of 797 children were examined. Dental caries was the most common ailment observed in 31.86% of children 43.32% of the children were underweight, 53.03% were normal, and 3.65% were overweight for age. Conclusion: The school health program provides a good opportunity to screen, identify and impart education regarding health related issues. The common morbidities found were dental caries, pallor, upper respiratory tract infection and refractory error. Overweight was also observed in the school children and needs to be addressed. There is a scope of providing comprehensive school health services by incorporating dental care. more...

Background and objectives: India is the second most populous country in the world and two-thirds of its population is less than 35 years old. This survey was conducted to assess the level of health awareness of cardiovascular disease in adolescent school-aged children 14–16 years old, with the goal of establishing school-based health education and development of heart-healthy lifestyle practices. Methods: A school-based survey was conducted in the rural district of West Midnapore, India between June and July of 2014. This involved a pre-evaluation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) health awareness, a short presentation on CVD, and a post-evaluation of CVD health awareness. Results: A total of 2995 students (48% response rate) from 20 schools participated in the survey. The mean age of the students in the study sample was 14.7 years, 46% were male, 53% were in the 9th grade, and the rest were in the 10th grade. After assessing students’ awareness in six domains with 20 multiple-choice questions with a maximum score of 100, the mean pre-test score was 41.1 (SD ± 10.5) and the mean post-test score was 48.1 (SD ± 16.9) (p more...

The text is a comparative study of two school health policies, in Parana: one from the 1920s and the other one from the beginning of the 21st century. The historical approach presents as documentary corpus the Government Reports, the magazine O Ensino, from the 1920s, the legislation and the School Health Program results, implemented in 2017. These sources present the official position of policies aimed at prevention, promotion and health education in the school environment. The analysis has as reference the cultural studies of Foucault. The results show that they are policies that incorporated health as a curricular component, aimed at changing social behaviors and forming healthy habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: A school has a certain role and strategic standing to improve health by encouraging and promoting the health itself. One of the instances in urging health in a school is the availability of School Health Program, as it is labelled as UKS (School Health Units) in Indonesia. Many studies have pointed that UKS has not been implemented optimally. Only few of studies have examined the attainment of TRIAS UKS which constitutes as the principal program of UKS. Therefore, this study analyses the practical attainment of TRIAS UKS in several primary schools at Surabaya along with determinant factors which are able to affect the insufficiency. Materials and Methods: This study refers to descriptive-observational study with cross- sectional type as the study design. The sample of the study is primary schools located in each part of Surabaya which is north, south, west, east, and center which has been selected by applying proportional stratified random sampling. Result: As findings of the analyses reveal, there is a total of 71.7% for UKS has reached optimal strata, 25.9% as plenary strata of attainment, and the total of 2.4% on standard strata. Conclusion: The implementation of School Health Program in primary schools levels in Surabaya needs to be more effective and intensified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The Health and Education Ministries of Brazil launched the Health in School Program (Programa Saúde na Escola - PSE) in 2007. The purpose of the PSE is two-fold: articulate the actions of the education and health systems to identify risk factors and prevent them; and promote health education in the public elementary school system. In the health field, the self-regulation (SR) construct can contribute to the understanding of life habits which can affect the improvement of individuals' health. This research aims to present a program that promotes SR in health (SRH). This program (PSRH) includes topics on healthy eating and oral health from the PSE; it is grounded on the social cognitive framework and uses story tools to train 5th grade Brazilian students in SRH. The study consists of two phases. In Phase 1, teachers and health professionals participated in a training program on SRH, and in Phase 2, they will be expected to conduct an intervention in class to promote SRH. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: the Condition I group followed the PSE program, the Condition II group followed the PSRH (i.e., PSE plus the SRH program), and the control group (CG) did not enroll in either of the health promotion programs. For the baseline of the study, the following measures and instruments were applied: Body Mass Index (BMI), Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S), Previous Day Food Questionnaire (PFDQ), and Declarative Knowledge for Health Instrument. Data indicated that the majority are eutrophic children, but preliminary outcomes showed high percentages of children that are overweight, obese and severely obese. Moreover, participants in all groups reported high consumption of ultraprocessed foods (e.g., soft drinks, artificial juices, and candies). Oral health data from the CI and CII groups showed a prevalence of regular oral hygiene, while the CG presented good oral hygiene. The implementation of both PSE and PSRH are expected to help reduce health problems in school, as well as the public expenditures with children's health (e.g., Obesity and oral diseases). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Objectives: To assess need for school health program, common health issues, knowledge and attitude towards health, perceived needs of students, teachers and parents. Thereafter apply Comprehensive School Health Model in a higher secondary school of Karachi; and gather outcome of the program through anecdotal evidences from stakeholders. Methods: Baseline assessment was conducted through focus group discussions and individual views from through interactive activities from 250 students; focus group discussions with 35 teachers and administered questionnaires to 16 parents. We thematically analyzed the data. Based on the thematic analysis, assigned school health nurse developed and implemented health education curriculum. We gathered anecdotal evidence from stakeholders to gauge success of the program. Results: The responses of students were more inclined towards physical aspects of health, and those of parents on issues related to mental and social development. Teachers emphasized broad and important aspects of counseling on psychosocial problems of students. After implementation of the curriculum, there were developments like establishment of a cafeteria committee to ensure healthy food availability and extended counseling facilities to help students cope with daily life stressors. Conclusions: The program was successful in terms of executing health promoting initiatives for school children. The framework can act as a reference for other schools in developing countries that share similar needs and want to administer and direct the concept of school health promotion for their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In 2006, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tennessee) began developing a school-based outreach program known as the St. Jude Cancer Education for Children Program (SJCECP). The aim of this program is to teach Memphis-area children about cells, cancer, and healthy habits that can prevent the development of cancer in adulthood. Initial plans for delivery of the program was for St. Jude staff to present the program at local schools. This plan for disseminating instruction was not feasible due to the limited availability of St. Jude staff. As a next step, during the 2012-2014 academic years, we conducted a study entitled SJCECP2, utilizing the SJCECP curriculum, with the objective of evaluating the impact of the educational intervention on knowledge acquisition and retention among fourth-grade students participating in a modified, teacher-led version of the program. Eighteen teachers and 426 students from 10 local schools in the greater Memphis area participated in the program evaluation. This study used a single-group, pre-test/post-test design to determine the impact of the SJCECP intervention on changes in knowledge scores among fourth-grade students. Testing was on cells, cancer, and healthy living. The mean scores increased from 6.45 to 8.12, 5.99 to 7.65, and 5.92 to 7.96 on cell, cancer, and health behaviors units, respectively (all p values <.001). Preliminary evidence suggests that the SJCECP2 intervention is a useful tool for teachers to improve student knowledge of knowledge of cells, cancer, and healthy living concepts at the fourth-grade level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: The Health Promoting School Initiative (HPSI) was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1995 based on the concept of an interrelationship between education and health. In 2010, WHO supported the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and established a network of 10 Health Promoting Schools (HPS). This study was undertaken to address the extent to which the HPS model was able to enhance the health of adolescents and prepare them to respond to evolving health challenges. Method: A cross-sectional survey was carried out during the academic year 2011-2012 and involved a comparison between the 10 HPS networks and 10 other public and private schools, with a total of 2,105 students (Grades 6-9). The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (CDC, 2011) and anthropometric measurements were used for data collection. Results: Findings revealed that the current school health program (SHP) failed to address issues of concern to adolescents, with prevalence of risk behaviors related to dietary and exercise practices. Neither the HPS nor control schools had a strong impact on students' health behaviors. Conclusion: Revision of the health education curriculum is strongly needed to integrate issues concerning healthy nutrition and physical activity. Expected learning outcomes need be designed to match students' age, grade level, and developmental milestones. The HPS network needs reassessment for project outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Introduction: Children are the foundation of a strong and healthy nation. Morbidity among school-going children adversely affects their normal growth and development and hence is a major public health concern. School health program was started as an important component of total health care delivery system in the country with a purpose of addressing the health needs of children. Aim: To assess the morbidity pattern and nutritional status among school children. Materials and Methods: Study design: A cross-sectional study. Study period: 1-year from 1st July 2012 to 30th June 2013. Study setting: 14 schools with a total strength of 909 children in a rural area of coastal Karnataka. Data collection: Health examination of the school children was carried out by a trained team. Data regarding anthropometric measurements, refractory error, medical problems and minor ailments were collected using a predesigned proforma. Results: A total of 797 children were examined. Dental caries was the most common ailment observed in 31.86% of children 43.32% of the children were underweight, 53.03% were normal, and 3.65% were overweight for age. Conclusion: The school health program provides a good opportunity to screen, identify and impart education regarding health related issues. The common morbidities found were dental caries, pallor, upper respiratory tract infection and refractory error. Overweight was also observed in the school children and needs to be addressed. There is a scope of providing comprehensive school health services by incorporating dental care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Aim: Teachers have been identified as catalysts in the implementation of the school health program (SHP). However, their roles cannot be effectively implemented if they are ignorant of their part. No previous study has been conducted to assess the role perception of teachers concerning SHP in Nigeria. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess and compare the role perception of public primary schoolteachers regarding SHP in rural and urban public primary schools in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria. Subjects and methods: A comparative cross-sectional survey was conducted in selected rural and urban public primary schools using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Perception scores were generated giving minimum and maximum obtainable scores of 0 and 8 respectively with scores of <4 regarded as having poor perception of role in SHP and those with ≥4 good perception. Associations were tested using Chi-square for categorical variables at p = 0.05. Results: The mean age of respondents was 42.8 ± 7.9 years (urban: 44.8 ± 7.0 years; rural: 40.1 ± 8.1 years). Most were females, (80.8 %), with more females in urban primary schools (82.5 %) than rural schools (78.8 %). More than half (55.4 %) had poor perception of their role in SHP. Higher proportions (59.9 %) of teachers in urban schools had poor perception of their roles in SHP compared with (50.4 %) of the rural public schools ( p = 0.01). Conclusion: Teachers had poor perception of their roles in the school health program in higher proportions in the urban area. Health education intervention to improve teachers' awareness of their roles in the program is advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In order to verify the presence of intestinal parasites in food handlers, stool samples were collected from 104 cooks and their helpers that were working in food preparation in 20 public elementary schools, in various areas of the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The samples were collected during the months of November and December, 1988, in plastic flasks containing a 10% formaldehyde solution and processed by the Hoffmann, Pons & Janer method. The sediment was examined using triplicate slides. All individuals were females aged between 24 to 69 years. Intestinal parasites were found in 85.0% of the studied schools and 47.1% of the studied food handlers (cooks and helpers) were found to be positive. Among the 49 infected food handlers, 32 (65.3%) carried a single parasite and 17 (34.7%) carried two parasites. The following intestinal parasites were found: Giardia lamblia (21.1%), Entamoeba coli (21.1%), hookworms (9.6%), Ascaris lumbricoides (5.8%), Entamoeba histolytica (2.9%), Hymenolepis nana (1.9%), Strongyloides stercoralis (1.0%). These data emphasize the need for a rigid semi-annual control in all school food handlers, including diagnosis, specific treatment and orientation about the mechanisms of transmission of the intestinal parasites.Para verificar a presença de parasitas intestinais em manipuladores de merenda escolar foram coletadas amostras fecais de 104 cantineiras e serventes que auxiliavam no preparo da alimentação de 20 Estabelecimentos da rede pública de ensino de 1º grau, localizados em diferentes bairros, da cidade de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. As amostras foram coletadas nos meses de novembro e dezembro de 1988 em frascos plásticos contendo formol a 10% e processadas pelo método de Hoffmann, Pons & Janer sendo o sedimento examinado em triplicata. Todos os indivíduos pertenciam ao sexo feminino com idade entre 24 e 69 anos. Foram detectados manipuladores de merenda escolar parasitados em 85% das Escolas estudadas. Das 104 amostras de fezes, 49 (47,1%) estavam positivas, sendo que 32 (65,3%) pertenciam a indivíduos monoparasitados e 17 (34,7%) a indivíduos biparasitados. Os parasitas em ordem decrescente de ocorrência foram: Giardia lamblia (21,1%), Entamoeba coli (21,1%), ancilostomídeos (9,6%), Ascaris lumbricoides (5,8%), Entamoeba histolytica (2,9%), Hymenolepis nana (1,9%) e Strongyloides stercoralis (1,0%). Conclui-se pela necessidade de rigoroso controle semestral, tratamento específico e orientação sobre os mecanismos de transmissão das enteroparasitoses a todos os manipuladores de merenda escolar dos Estabelecimentos de ensino. more...