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.

The purpose of this study was to make a critical evaluation of the school plant of Union Grove High School in Upshur County, Texas, in regards to health and safety environment.

Providing adequate sanitation facilities for the poor remains one of the major challenges in all developing countries. In South Africa, an estimated 11,7% of the schools are without sanitation. The South African government has a constitutional responsibility to ensure that all South Africans have access to adequate sanitation. When sanitation systems fail, or are inadequate, the impact of the health of the community, on the health of others and the negative impact on the environment can be extremely serious. In rural South African schools, many Enviro-Ioo toilets are available today. They are designed to suit a variety of water scarce areas and where there is a high risk of contamination of ground water resources. It is important to realize that any Enviro-Ioo system programme requires an education programme to ensure that the principles of use and maintenance are clearly understood by the user group. Their maintenance requires more responsibility and commitment by users. This study is an interpretive case study that indicates how sanitation in a rural Ramashobohle High School in Polokwane municipality was managed through an EcoSchools Sanitation Community of Practice, and how this developed action competence for sanitation management in the school. The study established that the earlier practice and knowledge of the Ramashobohle Eco-Schools community of practice exercised in maintaining Enviro-Ioo systems was inadequate; unhealthy and unsafe according to the data generated through focus group interviews, observations, interviews, action plan, workshops and reflection interviews. The data generated also indicates that the Eco-Schools community of practice was not committed to maintaining sanitation in their school because they were not sharing sanitation knowledge; they were not communicating and not updating one another concerning Enviro-Ioo systems maintenance as they had no adequate knowledge as to how to maintain the facilities; and the school management was also not supportive and was not taking responsibility. The study shows how this situation was turned around as an Eco-Schools Sanitation Community of Practice focussed on developing action competence in the school community. It provides a case based example of how knowledge and action competence, supported by an Eco-Schools Community of Practice, can find and implement solutions to inadequate sanitation management practices in rural schools, and shows how members of the school community can be engaged in learning how to manage and maintain school sanitation systems through a participatory process that develops action competence. The study points to important dimensions of developing action competence, such as providing knowledge and demonstrations, inviting experts to the school, involving learners in observations and monitoring and in ensuring that adequate facilities are available. In particular, a workshop conducted by Enviro-Ioo consultants, organised and supported by the Eco-Schools Sanitation COP, together with a follow up action plan, provided the main impetus for changes in practice in the school and served to support action competence development. Finally the study provides research findings and recommendations for further research.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The purpose of this study was to explore the role of SMTs in providing and sustaining schools’ sanitation infrastructure. Qualitative research approach was conducted to determine if the SMT members fully understand the role that they can play in sustaining sanitation facilities in their schools. Primary data was collected using semi structured questionnaires using qualitative research method. Twenty SMT members from five sampled schools from Man’ombe Circuit in Mopani East Education District were used as respondents. The study highlighted that provision of sanitation infrastructure which is not accompanied by effective management of those infrastructure cannot be sustained. Management was selected as a theoretical framework to clearly state the duties of SMT members as managers in the school community they are based in. Areas of potential effective role performance and areas of potential role conflict in school sanitation infrastructure were highlighted. The findings revealed that SMTs do not fully understand their role when it comes to school sanitation.

Η πραγματοποίηση αυτής της μελέτης έγινε με σκοπό να διερευνήσει τις θεσμικές ρυθμίσεις, τις διαδικασίες και τους τρόπους με τους οποίους σχεδιάσθηκε, συγκροτήθηκε, οργανώθηκε και ασκήθηκε η εκπαιδευτική πολιτική για την Σχολική Υγιεινή στη χώρα μας κατά την περίοδο 1911 - 1949. Η εργασία εστιάζεται στη συγκέντρωση, αξιολόγηση και θεματολογική ταξινόμηση του πρωτογενούς υλικού με την μέθοδο της ιστορικής έρευνας (ιστορικοσυγκριτική ανάλυση: Καζαμίας, 2002) με στόχο την κατανόηση με φαντασία (Carr, 1983) και την ερμηνεία των ιστορικών τεκμηρίων (ιστορική ερμηνευτική προσέγγιση: Πυργιωτάκης, Ι. & Παπαδάκης, Ν., 1998). Με την ενδελεχή διερεύνηση των ιστορικών μας τεκμηρίων επιχειρούμε την ανασύνθεση της ιστορικής πραγματικότητας, αλλά και την ανάλυση και ερμηνεία των γεγονότων σε μια χρονική περίοδο (1911-1949) που καλύπτει την περίοδο, όπου παρατηρούνται οι σημαντικότερες πολιτικές κοινωνικής πρόνοιας και αντίληψης στο χώρο της σχολικής υγιεινής. Η δική μας, επομένως προσέγγιση δεν είναι γεγονοτογραφική (Δημαράς, 1988), δε μένει στο τι έγινε αλλά επιχειρεί και απαντήσεις στα γιατί; Ερμηνεύει (ερμηνεύουσα ιστορία: Δερτιλής, 1995) στηριγμένη σε θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις περί Κράτους Πρόνοιας και Νέας Αγωγής. Χρησιμοποιώντας την ποιοτική ανάλυση περιεχομένου (Berelson, 1952), εξετάσαμε τις διαφοροποιήσεις που υπήρξαν για τη θεσμική εξέλιξή της στις χρονικές περιόδους – τομές και για τις εξής παραμέτρους – κατηγορίες ανάλυσης: την υγιεινή των διδακτηρίων, του μαθητή, των διδασκόντων, την σχολιατρική υπηρεσία και τον σχολιατρικό έλεγχο, τα μέτρα σχολικής μέριμνας που ελήφθησαν από το κράτος με ιδιαίτερες αναφορές στα μαθητικά – σχολικά συσσίτια καθώς και στην δημιουργία θεσμών ευρύτερης κοινωνικής αντίληψης όπως: οι παιδικές εξοχές – μαθητικές κατασκηνώσεις, τα υπαίθρια σχολεία, τα σχολικά λουτρά, τα μαθητικά ιατρεία – σχολικές κλινικές και τα κέντρα μαθητικής αντίληψης. Επίσης, τη διδασκαλία του μαθήματος της υγιεινής και τέλος, την εκλαΐκευση και τα περιοδικά σχολικής υγιεινής, ξεκινώντας από τις δύο βενιζελικές περιόδους, προχωρώντας στη μεταξική περίοδο και συνεχίζοντας στη μεταπολεμική περίοδο μέχρι και το 1949. Ιστορικοί, πολιτικοί, οικονομικοί, επιστημονικοί και γεωγραφικοί παράγοντες επηρέαζαν την υγεία των παιδιών, η οποία ήταν συνυφασμένη με τις πολιτισμικές και κοινωνικές συνθήκες και τους όρους διαβίωσης κάθε κοινωνικής ομάδας ή ατόμου σε κάθε εποχή στην χώρας μας. Εν κατακλείδι, η πρόβλεψη υπηρεσιών υγιεινής για τα παιδιά της σχολικής ηλικίας, σύμφωνα και με τις επιστημονικές επιταγές, κατείχε υψηλή προτεραιότητα στα προγράμματα υγειονομικής και κοινωνικής πολιτικής του κράτους, χαρακτηριζόμενη όμως, συχνά, από μια αναντιστοιχία των νομοθετημάτων με την πορεία υλοποίησης και εφαρμογής τους. Ως αιτίες αυτών των αναντιστοιχιών, πέραν των εσωτερικών πολιτικών αντιφάσεων, μπορούν να εντοπισθούν η πολιτική ρευστότητα της εποχής και η οικονομική δυσπραγία όσον αφορά στα δημοσιονομικά μεγέθη του Ελληνικού δημοσίου / The purpose of this study is to investigate the institutional regulations, processes and modes of planning, formation, organization and making education policy for the school sanitation and hygiene in Greece during the period 1911-1949. The study focuses on the collection, evaluation and thematic classification of the primary sources with the method of historical research (comparative-historical analysis: Kazamias, 2002) in order to comprehend with imagination (Carr, 1983) and to interpret the historical presumptions (an interpretive-historical approach: Pyrgiotakis, I. & Papadakis, N. 1998). Through the detailed research of our historical documents, we are attempting not only to recompose the historical reality but also to analyse and to interpret the facts during the period 1911-1949, a period characterized by the most important welfare state policies in the area of the school sanitation and hygiene. Thus, our approach is not a fact-based approach (Dimaras, 1988), it does not confine itself to what happened but it also attempts to provide answers to “why”. It interprets (interpreting history: Dertilis, 1995), based on welfare state and new education theoretical approaches. Using the qualitative content analysis (Berelson, 1952), we examined the differentiations of the institutional progress in the periods-sections and for the following parameters-analysis categories: school sanitation, students’ hygiene, teachers’ hygiene, medical and health service/control in school, medicare and perception measures in schools on behalf of the state (with special references to school lunch mess and to the creation of wider social perception institutions like: childhood countries-student camps, outdoor schools, student baths, student health centers-student clinics and the centers of student perception), hygiene education, popularization and the school hygiene magazines, from the two “venizelians” periods, the metaxian and the post war period to 1949. Historical, political, financial, scientific and geographical factors were affecting the children’s health, connected to the cultural and social conditions and the living conditions of every social group or individual during all epochs of our country. In conclusion, the health services for school age children were having a big priority in sanitation and social policy programs, characterised although quite often by discrepancy between laws and their implementation. This is due not only to the internal political contradictions but also to the political fluidity of that era and to the economic recession related to the greek state financial sizes.