The author has tried to emphasize the importance of the health of the school child and of a good health program in the public school. Realizing that most school administrators have very limited knowledge regarding the establishment of a program of this nature, it has been the purpose of this paper to set up a basic structure that may serve as a guide to the school in building its school health education program. Although this is written specifically for the school at Warrington, Florida, it is felt that this program may be of some benefit to other schools that would like to establish a better health program. / Typescript. / "August, 1950." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-39).

The purpose of this study was to collect and evaluate information on health services provided to children enrolled in the Beaverton School District. The primary areas of inquiry in the study were (1) parents attitudes concerning how existing programs have affected their children, (2) parents perceptions of needed and/or additional health services which could be provided by the school system, (3) parents attitudes toward budgetary decisions concerning possible changes and improvements in health services.

No / The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention designed to enhance young people's motivations to breastfeed. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 50 post-primary schools from across Northern Ireland. However, dropout and exclusion criteria utilized for the current study resulted in an effective sample size of 42 schools. The intervention was delivered in two 35-min classroom sessions targeting those beliefs identified by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as significant in predicting motivation to breastfeed. Questionnaires incorporating the key components of the TPB were administered to all intervention and control schools at baseline, 1 and 6 months post-intervention. Multi-level modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings suggest that the intervention was effective in that it increased females' intentions to breastfeed, expanded their knowledge and led to more favourable attitudes and perceptions of subjective norms. Notably, females' knowledge increased more in secondary schools than in grammar schools irrespective of whether they were control or intervention schools. The research has provided evidence to support the use of the TPB in the design and evaluation of an intervention to increase females' intentions to breastfeed.

The purpose of this study was to discover the meaning of school body mass index (BMI) screening and referral to parents. The goal of school BMI screening and referral is to provide information to compel parents to change their child's diet and activity levels when overweight and obesity are identified. Measuring BMI in schools and alerting parents to findings above what is considered normal is one intervention to reduce overweight and obesity that has been utilized since 2001 in Florida. To determine the meaning of BMI screening and referral to parents a mixed methods approach was utilized. Voluntary interviews of 20 parents who had received BMI referrals for their children were conducted. Analysis of the interviews was guided by phenomenology, as delineated by van Manen (1997). A cross sectional survey developed by Ruggieri (2012), was distributed to measure parent beliefs and opinions regarding the BMI screening and their re action to referrals. Findings from interviews indicated that parents ascribe different meaning to school BMI screening and referral. Overarching themes of changing and reflecting were discovered. The themes were manifested as dichotomies; some parents reflected on their role as parent and were more satisfied with the process; they reported change of diet and activity for their families upon receipt of a BMI referral. Others reflected on the role of the school in their child's life. They were more dissatisfied with the school screening and recommended changes in the screening and referral process. Suggested changes for school screening and referrals included subthemes: sensitivity, accuracy, privacy, and notification. Parents responded in the survey that they would change diet and activity for their families if they were told by the school that their child had a weight issue. Actions taken upon receipt of a BMI referral were not limited to changing diet and activity levels but also included discussing weight with their child and others. Parents denied they would be offended by a BMI referral. School BMI screening and referral is a valuable and effective intervention to address child overweight and obesity, especially if the process is accomplished with characteristics that parents deem caring. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka skolsköterskans erfarenheter av att arbeta med psykisk ohälsa bland ungdomar i mellan- och högstadiet. Metod: Urvalet av grundskolor valdes ut från samma kommun i mellersta Sverige och totalt deltog fyra kvinnliga skolsköterskor från fyra olika grundskolor. Datainsamlingen gjordes genom semistrukturerade frågor med kvalitativ ansats. Intervjuerna transkriberades ordagrant och blev analyserade med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Ur analysen framkom fyra huvudkategorier: Identifiering av psykisk ohälsa, begränsningar i arbetet mot psykisk ohälsa, prevention mot psykisk ohälsa samt förbättringsområden för identifiering av psykisk ohälsa . Resultatet visade att det var lättast att identifiera elever med psykisk ohälsa genom planerade hälsobesök där samtalet till viss del styrdes av en hälsoenkät. Genom elevhälsoteamet fick skolsköterskorna möjlighet att samverka och fånga upp elever som verkade vara i behov av hjälp. Tidsbrist upplevdes vara en stor påverkande faktor i arbetet. Skolsköterskorna uttryckte ett intresse av utökad kunskap i motiverande samtal (MI) samt att starta samtalsgrupper. Slutsats: Hälsoenkäten som användes inom elevhälsan och samverkan i elevhälsoteamet var de lättaste sätten att identifiera psykisk ohälsa bland ungdomar i mellan och högstadiet. Organisatoriska faktorer som ledning och tid var avgörande för arbetet mot psykisk ohälsa. / Aim: The aim of the study was to study the school nurses experience of working with mental health illness among youth in the middle and later years of primary school. Method: The selection of primary schools was chosen from the same society in central Sweden and total four female school nurses were participating from four different primary schools. The data collection was done with qualitative approach using semistructured interviews. The interviews were transcribed literally and were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in four main categories: Identification of mental health illness, limitations in the preventive work against mental health illness, prevention against mental health illness and improvement areas for identifying mental health illness . The result showed that all informants felt that it was easiest to capture students with mental health illness through the planned health visits, where the conversation was reasonably guided by a health questionnaire. Through the student health team the informants were given the opportunity to interact and capture the students who tended to be in need of help. Lack of time was perceived as a major influencing factor in the work. The school nurses expressed an interest in increased knowledge in motivational interviewing (MI) as well as starting conversation groups. Conclusion: The health questionnaire used in student health and collaboration in the student health team were the easiest ways to identify mental health illness among youth in the middle and later years of primary school. Organizational factors such as management and time were crucial for the work against mental health illness.

INTRODUÇÃO: A falta da correção óptica recentemente foi reconhecida como importante causa de baixa visão e parece ser um problema fácil de ser resolvido com o uso de óculos. No entanto, a falta da correção óptica é um problema complexo do seu diagnóstico ao tratamento, envolvendo a procura e alcance da assistência médica, além da confecção e uso dos óculos. OBJETIVOS: Determinar a frequência da necessidade de correção óptica em escolares; determinar a influência do absenteísmo no estudo da frequência da necessidade de correção óptica e suas causas; determinar o impacto da reconvocação dos faltosos na cobertura do atendimento oftalmológico; verificar cobertura oftalmológica prévia; verificar uso da correção óptica prescrita e causas de abandono de óculos. MÉTODO: Foi realizado um estudo transversal analítico. Escolares de 7 a 10 anos do ensino público de Guarulhos foram triados e encaminhados para exame oftalmológico na Campanha Olho no Olho 2006 e 2007. RESULTADOS: Foram triados 40.197 escolares e encaminhados 11.741 escolares com suspeita de problemas visuais. O absenteísmo na primeira convocação foi 42.5% e na reconvocação foi 62.2%. A Campanha alcançou 73.6% dos escolares encaminhados. A reconvocação ampliou a cobertura do projeto em 16.1%. A falta de orientação (não ter recebido aviso ou guia de encaminhamento) foi a razão mais frequente (35.6%) alegada para o não comparecimento, seguida de trabalho (20.6%) e doença (12.4%). A necessidade de óculos não foi fator associado ao comparecimento. Para 60.2% dos escolares foi a primeira oportunidade de exame ocular, sendo que 27.3% procuraram mas não tiveram acesso a consulta médica. Dos 1.379 escolares que já haviam feito exame, 48.3% utilizaram o SUS e 1.029 receberam prescrição de óculos em exame prévio. Destes, 899 (87.4%) fizeram os óculos e apenas 590 (57.3%) usavam os óculos no dia do exame. Dos óculos doados na Campanha, 84.7% dos escolares utilizavam a correção óptica após um ano. A estimativa da frequência da necessidade de correção óptica, na população estudada, foi de 6.9%. CONCLUSÕES: O erro refracional não corrigido foi a maior causa de baixa acuidade visual entre os escolares. A Campanha foi a primeira oportunidade de exame ocular para a maioria dos escolares. Existe uma parcela de pais que não leva seus filhos para exame, mesmo com oferecimento de facilidades (acesso, transporte, alimentação, duas oportunidades diferentes de exame gratuito realizado em fins de semana e doação de óculos). O absenteísmo poderia ser evitado em 87,1% dos casos, com melhor estruturação da primeira convocação. A reconvocação não é recomendada quando os recursos financeiros são escassos / INTRODUCTION: The lack of optical correction was recently recognized as an important cause of low vision and it seems to be an easy problem to be solved with the use of spectacles. However, it is a complex problem from its diagnosis to treatment, which includes medical assistance searching and finding, and spectacles acquisition and use. PURPOSES: To determine the frequency of optical correction need; to determine the impact of the recall of those absent in the ophthalmologic service coverage and its causes; to check the previous ophthalmologic coverage; to check the use of the prescribed optical correction and causes to neglect the use of spectacles. METHOD: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted. Students between 7 and 10 years old of public education from Guarulhos were screened and referred to ophthalmologic exam in the Eye to Eye Campaign 2006 and 2007. RESULTS: 40.197 students were screened and 11.741 (29,2%) were referred with suspicion of visual problems. The absenteeism in the first call was 42.5% and in the recall 62.2%. The Campaign reached 73.6% of the referred students. The recall expanded the project coverage in 16.1%. The lack of guidelines (parents did not receive notification or referral guide) was the most frequent reason (35.6%) provided by parents for the non attendance, followed by work (20.6%) and disease (12.4%). The need of glasses was not related to the attendance. For 60.2% of the students, it was the first opportunity for ophthalmological exam, whereby 27.3% searched but did not have access to a medical visit. Among the 1.379 students who had already performed an exam, 48.3% used the Public Health System and 1.029 received prescription of glasses in the previous exam. From those, 899 (87.4%) made their glasses and only 590 (57.3%) were wearing glasses on the day of the exam. From the donated spectacles in the Campaign, 84.7% of the students were using the donated optical correction after one year. The estimate of optical correction need within the studied population was 6.9%. CONCLUSIONS: The uncorrected refractive error was the main cause of low visual acuity among students. The Campaign was the first opportunity of ocular exam for most of them. A significant number of parents did not take their children for ophthalmological exams, even when facilities (access, free transportation, meal, two different opportunities of free exam over the weekend and spectacle donation) were offered. For 87.1% of the absenteeism cases, the difficulties could have been overcome via improved structuring of the first call. A recall is not recommended when financial resources are low

Background: Primary and secondary school children can carry a variety of different health related problems, whereas inactivity is one of them. In spite of this, the representation of physiotherapists within the school system is low. Research examining how school-based physiotherapists could affect school children’s health is yet to be presented. Since physical therapists within the field of pediatrics meet many children with different causes of ill-health, to examine their view on a school-based physiotherapist is of interest. Primary and secondary school children can carry a variety of different health related problems, whereas inactivity is one of them. In spite of this, the representation of physiotherapists within the school system is low. Research examining how a school-based physiotherapist could affect school children’s health is yet to be presented. En pediatriskt verksam fysioterapeut träffar många barn med olika bakomliggande orsaker till ohälsa, varför deras syn på skolfysioterapeut är av intresse att undersökas. Purpose: To examine physiotherapists’, operating within the field of pediatrics, view on a school-based physiotherapist possibilities to affect children’s health in primary and secondary school. Method: Descriptive, qualitative method realized by individual interviews with an inductive approach. The selected participants were six physical therapists operating within the field of pediatrics.Urvalet bestod av sex pediatriskt verksamma fysioterapeuter. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys utgjorde en grund för resultatet. Result: Five categories were formed. These were pursue informative operations regarding healthy habits, infix preventative measures to increase school children’s activity levels, providing support for children with special needs, working with school children’s physical self-esteem and assisting with professional competency surrounding the construction of school environments.The conducted interviews showed a worsened overall health state amongst school children. The health state is affected by the child’s preconditions and surroundings, but also by the decisions of which the child may choose to take based on these factors. The interviews also showed that a school-based physiotherapist’s occupation can be comprehensive. Conclusion:A school-based physical therapist may be of importance to the school health services by effecting students’ health in different ways. School based physical therapists, amongst other things, have the opportunity to increase general physical activity, operate towards a healthy lifestyle and acknowledge children living with undiagnosed disorders. As the results of this study only represent the views of physiotherapists active within pediatrics, further studies presenting other populations’ opinions of this matter, are needed.There are many elements that play a contributing role in determining a child’s health and activity level. A physiotherapist can be of importance for the work conducted by the school health services but also for the work conducted on a societal level as a school-based physiotherapist has the opportunity to acknowledge children living with undiagnosed disorders, whose needs are not fully met. As the results of this study only represent the views of physiotherapists active within pediatrics, further studies presenting other populations’ opinions of this matter, are needed. / Bakgrund: Skolbarn ärEn stor andel skolbarn är inaktiva och kan ha många olika hälsoproblem. Trots detta finns fysioterapeuter i skolan i väldigt låg omsättning. Studier kring hur fysioterapeuter i grundskolan kan påverka barns hälsa saknasStudier kring hur en fysioterapeut i grundskolan kan påverka barns hälsa saknas. Fysioterapeuter inom pediatriken träffar många barn med olika bakomliggande orsaker till ohälsaEn pediatriskt verksam fysioterapeut träffar många barn med olika bakomliggande orsaker till ohälsa, varför deras syn på skolfysioterapeut är av intresse att undersökas. Syfte: Undersöka pediatriskt verksamma fysioterapeuters uppfattningar om skolfysioterapeuters möjligheter till att påverka grundskolebarns hälsa. Metod: Deskriptiv, kvalitativ metod i form av enskilda intervjuer med induktiv ansats. Urvalet bestod av sex pediatriskt verksamma fysioterapeuter. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys utgjorde en grund för resultatet. Resultat: Fem kategorier utarbetades. Dessa var bedriva informativt arbete om sunda levnadsvanor, sätta in primärpreventiva åtgärder i syfte att öka skolbarns fysiska aktivitetsnivå, utgöra stöd för barn med speciella behov, arbeta med barns fysiska självkänsla och bistå med yrkesspecifik kompetens vid utformning av skolmiljöer.Under intervjuerna framkom en försämrad hälsobild bland skolbarn. Hälsobilden påverkas av omgivningen, barnets egna förutsättningar i form av individfaktorer och de val barnet gör i förhållande till dessa. De ansåg även att skolfysioterapeuters arbete i grundskolan kan vara omfattande. Slutsats: En fysioterapeut kan vara av betydelse för elevhälsoarbetet i grundskolan genom att påverka elevers hälsa på olika sätt. Bland annat genom att arbeta för att öka den fysiska aktivitetsnivån på skolan samt att arbeta för en sund livsstil och identifiera elever med olika typer av besvär som är odiagnostiserade. Många olika faktorer påverkar skolbarns hälsa och kan bestämma barnets aktivitetsnivå. En fysioterapeut kan vara av betydelse för elevhälsoarbetet i grundskolan men även på samhällsnivå då den har möjlighet att fånga upp barn med odiagnostiserade besvär vars behov tillgodoses i låg utsträckning. Då resultatet endast representerar pediatriskt verksamma fysioterapeuters uppfattningar krävs ytterligare studier där andra populationers uppfattningar undersöks.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T14:17:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gilson_ silva.pdf: 4464162 bytes, checksum: c573dcc95dd33cd17067510f8e04cb9f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-25 / The School Health Program (Programa Saúde na Escola - PSE) established in 2007 by the Ministries of Health and Education, aims to increase access of the school community to health services, contribute to the integral formation of students through promotion, prevention and health care, and address vulnerabilities that could compromise the full development of children, adolescents and youth. The aim of this study was to analyze the actions for the implementation of the School Health Program in municipalities of the Regional Education Center of Cascavel / PR and the 10th Region of Health in Paraná, in the view of managers. The specific objectives were to recognize the action planning, monitoring and evaluation for the development of PSE, from the understanding of managers; characterize the actions developed in PSE in the municipal districts studied, and identify the relationship between the sectors involved in the implementation of PSE. It is an exploratory study, conducted through field research. Quantitative data were collected, available on the website of the Ministry of Education in accordance with the municipalities, and qualitative data through interviews with managers of the PSE of the Departments of Education and Health, as well as records in field diaries. Quantitative data were divided into tables and frequency tables; those that were produced in interviews and field diaries were submitted to content analysis in the form of thematic analysis. After this process the data were subjected to triangulation sources as a method of analysis. Research subjects were 15 managers, eight from the area of health, seven from education. It is important to note that among the health managers were nurses, and between education managers were pedagogues. Triangulation of sources showed the activities for planning, evaluation and monitoring of the PSE, as well as the actions undertaken in the development of PSE and the intersectoral approach experienced by managers in the development of PSE. Important to note is that the evaluation of growth and development of students is the most frequent objective set in component I. Among the PSE components, the weakest is component III, used for the training of those involved in the program, and is also the least developed and yet to be agreed. It was concluded that the PSE is deployed in the cities studied, however, at various stages. Managers say that they feel prepared for the development of PSE, which is in contradiction with the data available in SIMEC (Integrated Planning, Budget and Finance of the Ministry of Education in Brazil) where the actions for training were less evident. Municipalities have been engaged in development activities in order to ensure comprehensive care, so that the intersectoral approach has become an important strategy for the implementation of welfare and educational activities directed at the health of schoolchildren. However, the actions of component I were the most visible, which may indicate that the focus remains on the biological aspect to implement the PSE in the studied reality. / O Programa Saúde na Escola (PSE), instituído em 2007, pelos Ministérios da Saúde e da Educação, objetiva ampliar o acesso da comunidade escolar aos serviços de saúde, contribuir para a formação integral dos estudantes, por meio de ações de promoção, prevenção e atenção à saúde, e enfrentar as vulnerabilidades que podem comprometer o pleno desenvolvimento de crianças, adolescentes e jovens. O objetivo geral deste estudo foi analisar as ações para implantação do Programa Saúde na Escola, em municípios do Núcleo Regional de Educação Cascavel/PR e da 10ª Regional de Saúde no Paraná, na ótica dos gestores; os objetivos específicos foram reconhecer as ações de planejamento, avaliação e monitoramento para o desenvolvimento do PSE, a partir da compreensão dos gestores; caracterizar as ações desenvolvidas no PSE, nos municípios estudados, e identificar a relação entre os setores envolvidos na implantação do PSE. Trata-se de estudo exploratório, realizado por meio de pesquisa de campo. Foram coletados dados quantitativos, disponíveis no site do Ministério da Educação, em termos de pactuações dos municípios, e dados qualitativos, por meio de entrevistas com os gestores do Programa Saúde na Escola das Secretarias de Educação e Saúde, além de registros em diários de campo. Os dados quantitativos foram distribuídos em quadros e em tabelas de frequência; aqueles que foram produzidos nas entrevistas e nos diários de campo submeteram-se à análise de conteúdo na modalidade de análise temática. Após este processo foram submetidos à triangulação de fontes, como método de análise. Foram sujeitos de pesquisa 15 gestores, oito da área da saúde, sete da educação. Destacam-se, entre os gestores da saúde, os enfermeiros e, entre os da educação, os pedagogos. A triangulação das fontes mostrou as atividades para o planejamento, avaliação e monitoramento do PSE, bem como as ações levadas a efeito no desenvolvimento do PSE e a intersetorialidade vivenciada pelos gestores no desenvolvimento do PSE. Destacaram-se as ações previstas no componente I, voltadas para a avaliação do crescimento e desenvolvimento dos escolares como as mais frequentes. Dentre os componentes do PSE, o de maior fragilidade é o componente III, para a formação dos envolvidos no programa, configurando-se no menos pactuado e desenvolvido. Conclui-se que o PSE está implantado nos municípios estudados, porém, em estágios diferenciados. Os gestores afirmam que se sentem preparados para o desenvolvimento do PSE, o que está em contradição com os dados disponíveis no Simec, em que as ações para formação foram as menos evidenciadas. Os municípios têm se empenhado no desenvolvimento de ações, com vistas a garantir a integralidade da assistência, de forma que a intersetorialidade tornou-se uma estratégia importante para implementação de ações assistenciais e educativas, direcionadas para a saúde dos escolares. Entretanto, as ações do componente I foram as mais visibilizadas, o que pode indicar que persiste o foco no aspecto biológico ao se implementar o PSE na realidade estudada.

The physical, psychological and social development of school children has been neglected - partly because they were seen as healthy "survivors" of the ravages of childhood illnesses, and partly because of the way in which health services are organized (such as the traditional under-five maternal and child health (MCH) services and the curative PHC clinic services). From the age of five years children undergo rapid and profound bio-psycho-social development, to emerge in adolescence as the next generation of leaders and workers. Securing their future growth and development is vital for any society to be economically and socially productive. A substantial body of national and intemational literature has recognised the detrimental impact of helminthic infections and micronutrient deficiencies on the physical and psychological health and development of school children; which requires appropriate nutritional interventions. Concern has been expressed that these adverse biological, physical and social deprivations have a cumulative impact on several dimensions of children's growth. Most important, apart from stunting physical growth, is the inhibition of educational development of school children. Recent evidence strongly suggests a powerful interaction between physical and psychosocial growth and development of children. Inhibition of either component of a child's well-being has adverse implications. Conversely, investments in the physical and psychological development of children are likely to generate substantial health and educational benefits and are a worthy investment to secure a healthy future generation. In summary, there are a number of reasons for, and benefits of, investing in school-based health and nutrition interventions. They are likely to improve learning at school and enhance educational outcomes; create new opportunities to meet unfulfilled needs; redress inequity; build on investments in early child development and promote and protect youth and adolescent development. Health and nutrition interventions such as school feeding programmes, micronutrient supplementation and deworming aim to improve primary outcomes of macro and micro-nutrient deficiencies, parasitic and cognitive status; as well as secondary outcomes of developing integrated comprehensive school health policies and programmes. This rationale served as the conceptual framework for this study. This theoretical framework views improvements of the health, nutritional, cognitive and scholastic development status of school children as the primary focus of policies, strategies and programmes in the health and education sector. This focus constitutes the central core of this thesis. Optimum social development requires investments in both the health and educational development of school children, so as to maximise the synergies inherent in each sector and to operationalise national and international strategies and programmes. As part of the larger RCT study a comprehensive nutritional, health and psychological profile of rural school children was established through a community-based cross-sectional study. Eleven schools were randomly selected from the Vulamehlo Magisterial District in southern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Within each school, all Standard 1 pupils, aged between 8 - 10 years, were selected giving a final study sample of 579 children. Some of the observed prevalence's were stunting (7.3%), wasting (0.7%), anaemia (16.5%) (as measured by haemoglobin below 12 g/dl), vitamin A deficiency (34.7%) (as measured by serum retinol below 20 ug/dl) and serum ferritin below 12ng/ml (28.1%). This study established that micronutrient deficiency, parasitic infestations and stunting remain significant public health problems among school-aged children in South Africa. Combining micronutrient supplementation and deworming are likely to produce significant health and educational gains. To determine the impact of single and combined interventions (anthelminthic treatment and micronutrient supplements) on nutritional status and scholastic and cognitive performance of school children, a double-blind randomised placebo controlled trial was undertaken among 579 children 8-10 years of age. There was a significant treatment effect of vitamin A on serum retinol (P<0.01), and the suggestion of an additive effect between vitamin A fortification and deworming. Vitamin A and iron fortification also produced a significant treatment effect on transferrin saturation (P<0.05). Among the dewormed group, anthelminthic treatment produced a significant decrease in the prevalence of helminthic infections (P<0.02), but with no significant between-group treatment effect (P>0.40). Scholastic and cognitive scores and anthropometric indicators were no different among the treated or the untreated children. Fortified biscuits improved micronutrient status among rural primary school children; vitamin A combined with deworming had a greater impact on micronutrient status than vitamin A fortification on its own; while anthelminthic treatment produced a significant reduction in the overall prevalence of parasite infection. The prevalence's of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Schistosoma haematobium declined significantly sixteen weeks post-treatment. The levels of both prevalence and intensity in the untreated group remained constant. The cure rates over the first two weeks of the study were 94.4% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 40% for Trichuris trichiura, and 72.2% for Schistosoma haematobium. The benefits of targeted school-based treatment in reducing the prevalence and intensity of infection supports the South African government's focus of using school-based interventions as part of an integrated parasite control programme. These strategies and programmes were found to be consistent with the recommendations of WHO and UNICEF. The nutritional transition facing developing and middle-income countries also has important implications for preventive strategies to control chronic degenerative diseases (Popkin B, 1994; WHO 1998; Monyeki KO, 1999). This descriptive study, comparing BMI data of school children over three time periods, found a rising prevalence of overweight and obesity among South African school children. Obesity as a public health problem requires to be addressed from a population or community perspective for its prevention and management. Environmental risk factors such as exposure to atmospheric pollution remain significant hazards for children. Lead poisoning is a significant, preventable risk factor affecting cognitive and scholastic development among children. The prevalence of elevated blood lead (PbB) levels in rural and semi-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) as well as the risk factors for elevation of PbB among children in informal settlements were examined. This study investigated over 1200 rural and urban children in two age groups: 3-5 and 8-10 years old. Average PbB level in peri-urban Besters, an informal settlement in the Durban metropolitan region, was 10 ug/dl with 5% of the children showing PbB level of greater than 25 ug/dl. By comparison, average PbB value in Vulamehlo, a rural area located 90-120 km from Durban, was 3.8 ug/dl and 2% of the children's PbB levels were greater than 10 ug/dl. Since the cognitive and scholastic performance of school children was a primary outcome measure in this study, it was important to explore other factors that influenced this variable. The performance scores of all four tests in the battery, among the cohort of a thousand rural and urban children, were in the lower range. The educational deficit identified in this test battery clearly indicates the impact of the inferior "Bantu" educational system that African children have experienced in South Africa. Aspects of the School Health Services that were investigated in this descriptive study included the services provided and their distribution; assessment of health inspection; health education and referral processes undertaken by the School Health Teams; perceptions of managers, providers and recipients of the service; as well as the costs of the provision of the service in KwaZulu-Natal. In KwaZulu-Natal, there were School Health Teams In all the 8 health and education regions in the province. In total, there were 95 teams in the province, consisting of nearly 300 staff members. The School Health Teams were involved in a wide range of activities - 74% of all teams were involved in health inspection and 80% were involved in health education. The total annual cost of delivering School Health Services in the province in 1995 was estimated to be approximately R8 750 000. Given the rise of HIV and AIDS in the province, School Health Services need to play a central role not only in prevention, but also in assisting with the acceptance of HIV-positive children within schools. It is recommended that the current and future draft SHS policy guidelines be approved by the relevant authorities for immediate implementation. Districts should consider developing "Health Promoting Schools", with School Health Teams being a central resource. This thesis has explored several aspects of the epidemiological profile of school children in rural and urban settings in KwaZulu-Natal. It has established that school children are exposed to a range of risk factors ranging from nutritional deficits, parasitic infections, atmospheric lead poisoning and a rising prevalence of overweight. All of these risk factors may compromise their physical, psychological and social development. A number of health interventions have been identified, which have the potential to address these problems. Such investments are essential to secure the health of future generations. / Thesis (M.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Adolescents who are subjected to adverse health risks which limit school attendance and academic performance, is a national as well as an international recognised problem considering healthy youth to be productive members of society. The South African Department of Health has introduced a re-engineering program for primary health care of which school-health is one of three main areas of the primary health care services focusing on, but not limited to immunization, teenage pregnancy, education about HIV/Aids, and screening for health problems such as poor eyesight and hearing impairment. During October 2012 the new school-health program was piloted in very poor schools in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and Limpopo and will over the next four years be implemented in poor Secondary Schools. The aim of this research was to explore and describe comprehensive school-health services in two selected secondary schools in the North West province in order to propose recommendations to enhance adolescents' quality of life. The researcher used an explorative, descriptive, holistic multiple case study to gather rich data from two separate institutions (secondary schools) to reach the following objectives: * To identify and describe the demographic profile from existing records/documents available at each selected secondary school. * To explore and describe how comprehensive school-health services are experienced by key stakeholders, in two selected secondary schools in the North West province. * To explore and describe the perceptions of key stakeholders on how comprehensive school-health services should be rendered in two selected secondary schools in the North West province to enhance the quality of life of the adolescent. A description of the demographic profile was possible by means of a demographic data sheet completed by the principal to understand the background of each school included in the research. Rich information of key stakeholders' experiences and views about comprehensive school-health services was gained by four focus group interviews. Results of the data analysis showed a lack of comprehensive school-health services to adolescents in two secondary schools. The findings included adolescents' health problems as well as physical and emotional challenges educators are not equipped for and/or have not sufficient time to manage. Conclusions made from the research findings, contributed to recommendations for the nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research to enhance the quality of life of adolescents through comprehensive school-health services in selected secondary schools in the North West province. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014