Environmental Health Hazards Among Primary Schools Children
Safaa Mohamed Elsaid;
Abstract
A healthy school environment supports learning and contributes to students’ health by minimizing distractions that either threatens their physical or mental wellbeing. The environment should also promote expectations that all students can succeed. Policies and programs to meet the needs of students and staff must support these environments (Frumkin and Dannenberg, 2013).
Children can be particularly susceptible to harm from environmental hazards. This is because their bodies are still developing and they may have relatively higher exposures to environmental hazards than adults. (Cracken, 2014).
"A safe, clean, and well-maintained school with a positive psychosocial climate and culture is boost student and staff self-esteem and health as well as students’ educational achievement.
The physical and aesthetic surroundings and the psychosocial climate and culture of the school can affect student and staff self-esteem and health as well as students’ academic achievement (Barrett & Zhang, 2014).
Aim of the study:
The aim of the study was to assess the environmental health hazards among primary school children through:
1. Compare primary school's building according to the International standard.
2. Find out the health hazards related to school environment.
3. Detect school health services toward health hazard.
4. Check for school disaster plan.
Research questions:
1. Is there a relation between the school environment and child health?
2. Is there difference between governmental school environment and private school environment?
3. Is there traumatic accident can occur related to school environment?
4. Is there topic for environmental health within school health services?
Subjects and methods:
It was a descriptive correlational study. The study was conducted at El-Giza Governorate; represented sample was 40% for governmental primary schools and 40% for private primary schools selected by Stratified random sample. This study encompasses 157 primary schools (64 governmental primary schools and 93 private primary schools).
The study subjects include all available schools administrators (131 schools head master), available schools nurses (122), and known chronic ill children (451 chronic ill children are determined in the medical records) from the public and private primary schools in El-Giza Governorate.
The following tools were used to accomplish the purpose of the study:
1. International standard school assessment sheet it contains five parts:
Part one: The school data as: school address, school type, date of established, etc.
Part two: The physical component of the school environment.
Part three: Assessment of school health services.
Part four: Disaster plan checklist.
Part five: Chronic diseases among primary school children.
2. School health record (e.g. school health hazards, risk factors, and dealing with accidents.
The important finding obtained from the study can be summarized as following:
The primary schools playground covering by slabs 52.7%, and the sand 32.8%. Street leading to school in the studied sample was proper in 62.6%, school location was proper in 69.5%, the outer wall of school was proper in 87.0 %, and the playground status was proper in 57.3%.
The stairway status was proper in 85.5%, Classroom status was proper in 57.3%, the desks & seats status were proper in 62.6%, classroom air ventilation was proper 43.5%, and the classroom lighting was proper in 60.3%.
Medical clinic room was proper in 47.3%. The work schedule of the nurse in the primary schools is daily per week 58.7% in studied sample.
The school health services done for 69.5% from the total number of primary schools in the selected sample, and the disaster plan checklist is unavailable in 51% of the total number of primary schools in the studied sample.
The health hazards among the primary school children, the most common health hazards Ecchymosis and Abrasion (100.0%), Cut wounds (96.2%) is the most common incidence in the schools, Sprain joints (66.4%), fracture bones (69.5%), Epistaxis (18.3%), Infectious disease (55.0%). Risk factors from the primary schools environment included is fall-down and slips (99.2%), and impulsive play (87.8%) in the study sample. The primary schools action to dealing with the accidents is referral to hospital (98.5%), and the first aid through the nurse or trained teacher is (96.9%).
Children can be particularly susceptible to harm from environmental hazards. This is because their bodies are still developing and they may have relatively higher exposures to environmental hazards than adults. (Cracken, 2014).
"A safe, clean, and well-maintained school with a positive psychosocial climate and culture is boost student and staff self-esteem and health as well as students’ educational achievement.
The physical and aesthetic surroundings and the psychosocial climate and culture of the school can affect student and staff self-esteem and health as well as students’ academic achievement (Barrett & Zhang, 2014).
Aim of the study:
The aim of the study was to assess the environmental health hazards among primary school children through:
1. Compare primary school's building according to the International standard.
2. Find out the health hazards related to school environment.
3. Detect school health services toward health hazard.
4. Check for school disaster plan.
Research questions:
1. Is there a relation between the school environment and child health?
2. Is there difference between governmental school environment and private school environment?
3. Is there traumatic accident can occur related to school environment?
4. Is there topic for environmental health within school health services?
Subjects and methods:
It was a descriptive correlational study. The study was conducted at El-Giza Governorate; represented sample was 40% for governmental primary schools and 40% for private primary schools selected by Stratified random sample. This study encompasses 157 primary schools (64 governmental primary schools and 93 private primary schools).
The study subjects include all available schools administrators (131 schools head master), available schools nurses (122), and known chronic ill children (451 chronic ill children are determined in the medical records) from the public and private primary schools in El-Giza Governorate.
The following tools were used to accomplish the purpose of the study:
1. International standard school assessment sheet it contains five parts:
Part one: The school data as: school address, school type, date of established, etc.
Part two: The physical component of the school environment.
Part three: Assessment of school health services.
Part four: Disaster plan checklist.
Part five: Chronic diseases among primary school children.
2. School health record (e.g. school health hazards, risk factors, and dealing with accidents.
The important finding obtained from the study can be summarized as following:
The primary schools playground covering by slabs 52.7%, and the sand 32.8%. Street leading to school in the studied sample was proper in 62.6%, school location was proper in 69.5%, the outer wall of school was proper in 87.0 %, and the playground status was proper in 57.3%.
The stairway status was proper in 85.5%, Classroom status was proper in 57.3%, the desks & seats status were proper in 62.6%, classroom air ventilation was proper 43.5%, and the classroom lighting was proper in 60.3%.
Medical clinic room was proper in 47.3%. The work schedule of the nurse in the primary schools is daily per week 58.7% in studied sample.
The school health services done for 69.5% from the total number of primary schools in the selected sample, and the disaster plan checklist is unavailable in 51% of the total number of primary schools in the studied sample.
The health hazards among the primary school children, the most common health hazards Ecchymosis and Abrasion (100.0%), Cut wounds (96.2%) is the most common incidence in the schools, Sprain joints (66.4%), fracture bones (69.5%), Epistaxis (18.3%), Infectious disease (55.0%). Risk factors from the primary schools environment included is fall-down and slips (99.2%), and impulsive play (87.8%) in the study sample. The primary schools action to dealing with the accidents is referral to hospital (98.5%), and the first aid through the nurse or trained teacher is (96.9%).
Other data
| Title | Environmental Health Hazards Among Primary Schools Children | Other Titles | مخاطر الصحة البيئية بين تلاميذ المدارس الإبتدائية | Authors | Safaa Mohamed Elsaid | Issue Date | 2014 |
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