Importance of school health education

Present by Navya Antony

What is school health education?

• The term school health education refers to the learning experiences in health which take place in school.

• It brings the child gradually to realize the importance of health and to act intelligently in conformity with this awareness.

Why should care about health education?

Health education

Skills, knowledge and positive attitudes

Emotional health

Social health

Physical health

Mental health

WHO

• An effective school health programme can be one of the most cost effective investments a nation can make to simultaneously improve education and health

• WHO promotes school health programmes as a strategic means to prevent important health risks among youth and to engage the education sector in efforts to change the educational, social, economic and political conditions that affect risk.

WHO global school health initiative strategies

• WHO's Global School Health Initiative seeks to mobilise and strengthen health promotion and education activities at the local, national, regional and global levels.

• WHO's Global School Health Initiative, launched in 1995.

What is a health promoting school?• A health promoting school is one that constantly

strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.

A health promoting school

• Fosters health and learning with all the measures at its disposal.

• Engages health and education officials, teachers, teachers' unions, students, parents, health providers and community leaders in efforts to make the school a healthy place.

• Strives to provide a healthy environment, school health education, and school health services.

• Implements policies and practices• Strives to improve the health of school personnel, families

and community members as well as pupils

• Worldwide, 5% of all deaths of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are attributable to alcohol use. In some countries, up to 60% of all new HIV infections occur among 15-24 year olds.

• Worm infections are the greatest cause of disease among 5-14 year old children.

• Vitamin A deficiency is the single greatest cause of preventable childhood blindness.

• Iodine deficiency is the single most common preventable cause of mental retardation and brain damage in children.

School health and youth health promotion: facts

• Injury is the leading cause of death and disability among school-age youth.

• One out of two young people who start and continue to smoke will be killed by tobacco-related illness.

• Worldwide, 5% of all deaths of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are attributable to alcohol use.

• In some countries, up to 60% of all new HIV infections occur among 15-24 year olds.

Health promoting schools focus on:

• Caring for oneself and others• Making healthy decisions and taking control over life's

circumstances• Creating conditions that are conducive to health• Building capacities for peace, shelter, education, food,

income, a stable ecosystem, equity, social justice, sustainable development.

• Preventing leading causes of death, disease and disability: helminthes, tobacco use, HIV/AIDS/STDs, sedentary lifestyle, drugs and alcohol, violence and injuries, unhealthy nutrition.

• Influencing health-related behaviours

Preventing leading causes of premature death, disease and disability

• Many of today's and tomorrow's leading causes of death, disease and disability can be significantly reduced by preventing six interrelated categories of behaviour, that are initiated during youth and fostered by social and political policies and conditions:

• tobacco use• behaviour that results in injury and violence• alcohol and substance use• dietary and hygienic practices that cause disease• sedentary lifestyle• sexual behaviour that causes unintended pregnancy and

disease

Goals for school health education

1. To make pupils aware of their health problems and needs.

2. To promote pupils' lifestyle through the inculcation of correct health concepts

and behavioural patterns, with the ultimate objective of enabling the pupil to

make the best possible choice for his or her optimum health and total well-being.

3. To improve the school and family environment.

4. To enhance the role of pupils in conveying health messages to the co mmunity,

and in giving active support to such national health programmes as their country

may be launching at the time.

Less developed countries may have different priorities than those in more developed countries.

LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES PRIORITIES

• - Malnutrition

- Worm infections

- Hearing and sight impairments

- Timing births and safe motherhood

- Breast feeding and child growth

- Diarrhoea

- Coughs and colds

- Home and personal hygiene (include dental)

- Malaria

- AIDS

- Immunisation

- Regular and safe water supply

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES PRIORITIES

• Personal health care (including personal hygiene and dental care)

- Mental and emotional health (including personal and human relationships)

- Sex education

- Family life education

- Nutrition education

- Use and abuse of addictive substances (legal and illegal)

- Physical activity

- The environment

- Safety education and accident prevention (including First Aid)

- Consumer education

National levelSchool health programmes

• School Health Program is envisaged as an important tool for the provision of preventive, promotive and curative health services to the population

• The programme which is functioning well in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat and West Bengal

• The states can, in the spirit of the flexibility of RCH and NRHM, modify the options as per their needs and the available options for service delivery. The School Health Programme would benefit 22 Crore students in 12, 88,750 schools all over India.

Components of School Health Program:

• Screening, health care and referral: • Screening of general health, assessment of

Anaemia/Nutritional status, visual acuity, hearing problems, dental check up, common

• skin conditions, heart defects, physical disabilities, learning disorders, behavior problems.

• Basic medicine kit to be provided to take care of common ailments prevalent among young school going children.

• Referral Cards for priority services at District / Sub-District hospitals.

• Immunization: o As per national schedule o Fixed day activity o Coupled with education about the issue • Micronutrient (Vitamin A & Iron Folic Acid)

management: o Weekly supervised distribution of Iron-Folate

tablets coupled with education about the issue o Vitamin-A as per national schedule.

• De-worming o As per national guidelines o Biannually supervised schedule o Prior IEC with intimation to families to bring siblings to

school on the fixed day o Siblings of students also to be covered

• Health Promoting Schools o Counseling services, Promotion of mental well-being. o Regular practice of Yoga, Physical education, health

education

School health programmes in Kerala• Arogyakeralam programmeThe School Health Programme rolled out in the State

from July ‘09 as a unique joint venture of the Departments of Health, Education, Sports, Council and Local Self Government.

• Junior Public Health Nurses @ one for 2,500 students will be especially recruited.

• The benefits of the School Health Programme will be extended to approximately 9.50 lakh students, both from Government and aided sectors, in 992 schools across the State during the first phase.

Aim• Helping the nation build a bright and healthy

generation, equipping them to make healthy choices and for planning to maintain a healthy population in the future.

The Main Components the State wide School Health Programme

• Clinical services: The JPHNs are expected to attend minor clinical ailments and health issues that the student face while in school. JPHNs will arrange Medical screening camps with help of school health team.

• Preventive services: Health education is the most important component of the school health program, and is the most important function of JPHNs, other than clinical services. Health education involves teaching a wide range of subjects about health, preventable diseases, hygienic practices and normal milestones.

• Counseling: The services of a clinical psychologist/social worker will be made available in the future.

• Documentation: Documentation of health related activities and filling of Health Record

conclusion

• Health education is a significant addition to the curricula of schools because health is a source of major concern.

• The existence of health problems can disrupt the opportunities for learning in the sense that it can disrupt classroom attendance and overall state of mind.

• Increasing awareness among the student body can reduce the risk of educational disruptions.

• The development of attitudes at a young age can increase the probability that behaviors will be altered and a more balanced lifestyle is developed.

REFERENCES

• http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/ste/projects/health/planning.htm

• http://www.who.int/school_youth_health/en/• http://

www.ehow.com/about_4881852_health-education-schools.html

• http://arogyakeralam.gov.in/index.php/programmes/school-health

• TURNER C., PLANNING FOR HEALTH EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS