Prevalence of Health Problems Targeted by the National School-Based Screening Program among Primary School Students in Saudi Arabia, 2019.

Manal Matar Al Daajani,Khaled Ibrahim Alabdulkareem,Amjad Fawzi Alfaleh,Yahya Mohammad Fagihi,Mona Hamed Ibrahim,Dina Mohammed Al-Habib,Abrar Abdulazeem Alzaher,Nora Abdulrhman Al Shewear

doi:10.3390/healthcare9101310

Abstract

The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) established a National School-Based Screening Program (NSBSP) for health screening of schoolchildren. Students from specific grades were systematically screened for several health problems, including obesity, visual and auditory problems, dental cavities, scoliosis, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of these health problems among primary school students based on secondary data obtained from the NSBSP. We included 444,259 screened school children from the first and fourth grades of 50% of the selected schools (both private and public) across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the academic year 2018–2019. Among them, the most prevalent health problems identified were dental cavities (38.7%), eye refractory errors (10.9%), and overweight and obesity (10.5%); the less prevalent problems included ADHD (2.81%), auditory problems (0.6%), and scoliosis (0.48%). A greater prevalence of most health problems was observed in girls more than boys. The NSBSP successfully aided the detection of health conditions with high and low prevalence among primary school students in the KSA, and thus, the identification of health problems of specific concern. Implementation of effective school health services for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of these health problems are imperative.

Highlights

Schools play a very important role in childhood development, education, and psychological and social health, which are fundamental for the quality of life and future of students
Myopia, and obesity/overweight were the most prevalent health problems for the primary school students, as they were observed in 38.7%, 10.9%, and 10.5% of screened students, respectively (Table 2)
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), scoliosis, and auditory health problems were prevalent in only 2.8%, 0.48%, and 0.7% of screened students, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Schools play a very important role in childhood development, education, and psychological and social health, which are fundamental for the quality of life and future of students. Health barriers to learning, such as vision and hearing deficits and dental pain, exert adverse effects on learning processes, attendance of the student, academic patterns, and development [2]. Barriers to learning are believed to negatively affect the future financial stability and social life of students. 80% of learning processes occur through visual tasks, such as writing, reading, and using computers. Untreated visual problems affect students’ ability to read [3], while uncorrected auditory problems are associated with higher rates of dysfunction in speech, language, poor performance on educational tasks, social and emotional difficulties, and lower self-esteem [4]. The aim of health screening programs is to increase the early detection of health problems and promote prevention of accompanying physical, mental, and social consequences

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