The Status of School Health Services: A Comparative Study of Primary Schools in a Developing Country

Abstract

Background- The school health service is an important aspect of health delivery systems necessary to monitor the health of school children in other to keep them healthy and optimize their learning. Aims- This cross-sectional and descriptive study tried to ascertain the status of the school health services in 56 randomly selected schools using the school health programme evaluation scale. It also compared the extent of implementation of school health services in both private and public primary schools in Nnewi North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra state, Nigeria. Results- School health service is existent in the Nnewi North LGA but its implementation is suboptimal in both private and public schools. Significantly more private schools had treatment facilities within school premises (P=0.001), although routine screening of school pupils was done by more public schools (P=0.001). Overall, private schools had a significantly higher mean score (13.6±4.3 vs. 8.8±2.5) in criteria assessing school health services compared to public schools (P=0.001). Conclusion- School health service activities are present in Nnewi North LGA but implementation is suboptimal in both private and public schools. Effective policy with good monitoring and evaluation is imperative in ensuring adequate and optimal implementation of school health services in primary schools in Nnewi.