Health Problems In School Children Research Articles

How able did newly qualified teachers in England feel to support pupils’ mental health in the late stages of COVID 19? A qualitative study of teacher perceptions

ABSTRACT The prevalence of mental health problems in school children has grown, especially during the pandemic, detrimentally impacting the lives of those affected. In the UK, primary school teachers and schools are well-placed to spot and support pupil mental health. This preliminary research completed during the first part of the COVID-19 pandemic, addresses a gap in the literature to understand whether primary school teachers feel they have personal and professional resources to manage and support pupil mental health. Six recently qualified primary school teachers took part in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of these data generated three themes (a) The impact of school on pupil mental health (b) Where does the expertise lie? and (c) School approaches to mental health. The themes show that teachers varied in how prepared they felt to support pupil mental health and this was related to a degree to the way in which their school approached mental health support. Our participants felt well-placed to support pupils’ mental health but also concerned about their ability to do so. These findings and the suggestions for change from our participants have clear implications for how teachers can be better enabled to support pupil mental health during and beyond COVID-19.

Association between indicators of physical fitness and body weight status in high school students

Introduction: the components of physical fitness have become very important to determine health problems in schoolchildren. Objective: to analyze the association between physical condition indicators (PCIs), body weight status, and metabolic risk in high school students. Methods: a cross-sectional study where 531 schoolchildren were evaluated - 271 women (51 %) and 260 men (49 %) between 11 and 15 years old. The Alpha Fitness battery was used to analyze PCIs and the Pacer test to estimate VO2max; waist circumference (WC) was measured as an indicator of obesity and metabolic risk. The students were classified according to their BMI and WC. Results: PCIs showed a poor performance in all schoolchildren in the variables of flexibility (81 %), sit-ups (97.7 %), push-ups (95.3 %), speed (99.2 %) and VO2max (64.8 %). Obese schoolchildren have significantly lower performance in flexibility, strength and speed (< 0.001) when compared to non-obese schoolchildren. On the other hand, there is a negative relationship between WC as indicator of metabolic risk and flexibility, sit-ups, and push-ups. Men are at higher metabolic risk than women. Conclusions: the relationship between HCI and obesity shows that schoolchildren with higher BMI and higher metabolic risk are those with lower performance. That is why educational policies should focus on improving the components of physical fitness to reduce obesity and metabolic risk in schoolchildren.

Conversation difficulties rather than language deficits are linked to emotional problems in school children with hearing loss

BackgroundSocial communication difficulties are often associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as language disorder, intellectual development disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, which impedes the investigation of the specific role of social communication problems in mental health outcomes.AimsWe investigated the association between conversation difficulties and increased risk of mental health problems in schoolchildren with hearing loss. It can be assumed of this sample that conversation difficulties are primarily due to limited auditory access to language rather than neurobiological deficits.MethodsFive complete birth cohorts of Carinthian children (n = 53) with significant hearing loss and an intelligence quotient over 70 were assessed in terms of language abilities in standardized tests and in terms of their conversation skills by use of a short teacher checklist developed by the authors. Mental health problems were assessed by means of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire by parents and teachers.ResultsConversation deficits were significantly correlated with lower SDQ emotional problems and total problem scores as rated by parents and lower peer problems scores as rated by teachers. Controlling for degree of hearing loss, maternal education and language skills, confirmed the specific value of conversation skills as a predictor of emotional problems (p = 0.010).ConclusionWith regard to mental health, our results suggest a focus on the assessment of conversation skills in addition to language abilities.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Dental Caries among Basic School Children in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal: A Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Oral health problems of school children are one of the most common health related problem in the world. The prevalence of dental caries is significantly higher in school children. In Nepal, the morbidity of dental caries is very high among school children compared to other age groups. Dental caries is neglected at initial stages in children, but when the disease becomes progressive the treatment options being one of the most expensive and unaffordable. This study sought to identity the prevalence and associated risk factors of dental caries among basic school children age group from 6-12 years.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study design was carried out among school children. . A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and face to face interview method was used to collect information from two public schools and two private schools of Kathmandu metropolitan City. Purposive sampling technique was applied. DMFT (Decayed, Missed, Filled, Teeth) index was adopted to measure mixed dentition, and also to assess the oral health status of school children. The collected data was entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS-20.&#x0D; RESULTS: Among 274 participants, there were equal number of female and male students (Female: 137, Male: 137), likewise the number of participants from public and private school was also equal. The prevalence of dental caries among school children was found to be 55.84% and there was significant association between frequency of brushing with dental caries (p=0.001). 176 (64.2%) of the participants consumed normal food, 56 (20.4%) consumed junk food and 39 (14.2%) consumed spicy food. The consumption of different food types played a significant role in the occurrence of dental caries.&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: Frequency of brushing and types of food consumption are significantly associated with the higher prevalence of dental caries among school children. Regular dental check-up and good brushing practice can reduce the prevalence of dental caries in school children. Hence, continuous oral health programs including demonstration of proper brushing technique along with oral health awareness programs at school can help to reduce the burden of dental caries among school children.

Effects of a Healthy Habit Promotion Strategy on Colombian Schoolchildren

Chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCD) show an increasing tendency, especially in low- and medium-income countries. It is necessary to develop and evaluate strategies to strengthen healthy habits at an early age in these countries. Objective: To determine the effect of the health promotion strategy “United for Healthier Kids” (U4HK) on health lifestyle habits of a group of Colombian schoolchildren for the 2018-2020 period. Materials and methods: This quasi-experimental study features treatment and control groups and pre- and post-intervention measurements. The study involved 1,011 schoolchildren between six and twelve years old from seven rural and urban schools of the Sabana Centro region of Colombia. We used the Healthy Habits Measurement Tool, previously validated in Colombia. Results: When comparing within and between groups, the UHK strategy showed statistically significant differences in healthy habits (p &lt; 0.05) related to nutrition and physical activity in schoolchildren. Conclusions: The U4HK strategy had a positive effect and impact on the schoolchildren’ healthy habits, especially in the ‘chooses to drink water’ and ‘moves more’ components. There were statistically significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) between groups in four out of the five categories: drinks more water, chooses nutritios and varied options, eats and cooks as a family, and moves more. The U4HK strategy responds to current and future health problems in schoolchildren and helps prevent chronic diseases. It could be replicated in similar populations.

Assessment of Mental Health Problems of School Children Using Self Report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Introduction: Psychological disorders among children and adolescents are the least discussed health problems in pediatrics. There is limited data on the prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents in low-income countries like Nepal. This study intended to find the prevalence of mental health problems among school children in a secondary school in western Nepal. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, students of grades six to eleven of two private schools of a district in Nepal were randomly selected. The self-rated version of Goodman’s Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire were used to assess mental health problem in these adolescents. Outcomes were measured in a scale of zero to 10 for each of emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer problem and pro-social behavior. Difficulty scale and its impact on life were also measured. Results: Out of 902 students, 5% (n=49) had significant and 14% (n=127) had probable mental health problem. Peer problems was the commonest (25%) followed by emotional (15%) and conduct problem (15%) and hyperactivity and pro-social problems were seen in 7% each. Boys had more mental health problem than girls except emotional problem. Mental health problem was more common in lower grade or younger age students. Its impact on life were 0-7.4%. Abnormal internalizing and externalizing problems were reported in 20% and 11% respectively. Conclusion: Mental health problem was prevalent (5 to 25%) in secondary school children. Screening school children for the same would be beneficial for early diagnosis.

EFEKTIVITAS PENINGKATAN PENGETAHUAN KESEHATAN GIGI DAN MULUT MENGGUNAKAN MEDIA VIDEO DAN PERMAINAN ULAR TANGGA PADA SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR NEGERI CANDI 01 SEMARANG

Background: Dental caries is one of the serious health problems in school children. This put children on high risk of school achievement decreasing and lack of nutrition. It is important to provide them a health education which could be done by play program. There were two play programs proven as effective for health education namely snake ladder and watching video. However, little is known which program is more effective. This study aimed to investigate differences of increasing dental and mouth health knowledge using snake lader media and video. Methods: This study employed Pretest-Posttest nonequivalent control group design and conducted in Candi 01 Elementary School, Semarang City. The sample of 74 people divided into 2 groups, 1 snake ladder group and 2 groups. Each group consisted of 37 people. Result: It was found that the snake ladder game was more effective in increasing health knowledge, in the Mann-Whitney alternative test the p value was 0.000 (p <0.005). Conclusion : There are differences in the benefits of health and oral knowledge using media videos and snake games on Candi 01 elementary school students in Semarang City .

English

BACKGROUND Health education is an essential aspect for prevention of oral health problems in school children. Dental trauma can result in damaging the tooth, periodontal ligaments, and sometimes even alveolar bone and gingiva. These traumatic injuries to the anterior teeth in young children are tragic but are an ignored problem. They can result in aesthetic and functional problem with possible impact on child’s quality of life as anterior teeth are essential for phonetics, mastication, integrity of supporting tissue and also mental and psychological wellbeing of children. This dental emergency can be best handled by the school teachers and the staff members when it happens in a school. So, the study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitude of the school teachers regarding the emergency management of dental trauma and sensitize them on the subject. METHODS This is a pre- and post-test study performed using self - designed questionnaire provided to the school-teachers of Wardha district. RESULTS Knowledge of 98 % teachers increased after the activity whereas knowledge of 2 % of school teachers was the same as earlier. CONCLUSIONS Sensitization of the school teachers improved their awareness and attitude to manage the dental trauma and avulsion injury of teeth in school. KEY WORDS Tooth Avulsion, Emergency Dental Traumatic Care, School Teachers

Diagnostic sensitivity of direct wet mount microscopy for soil-transmitted helminth infections in Jimma Town, Ethiopia.

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) remains a major public health problem in school children in Ethiopia. Although direct wet mount microscopy (DWMM) is the means to diagnose parasitic diseases in health care facilities in Ethiopia, it remains unclear what its diagnostic performance is for STH. A cross-sectional study was performed in Jimma Town (Ethiopia) and included 600 children from 10 primary schools. The diagnostic sensitivity of DWMM was compared to a composite reference standard (CRS) consisting of Kato-Katz, McMaster and Mini-FLOTAC. We also explored the impact of intensity of infection (the highest faecal egg counts (FECs; expressed as eggs per gram of stool (EPG)) across the CRS) on the diagnostic sensitivity of DWMM. Based on the CRS, there were 210 Ascaris (35.0%), 312 Trichuris (52.0%) and 102 hookworm cases (17.0%). The median intensity of infections equalled 2,057 EPG for Ascaris, 200 EPG for Trichuris and 110 EPG for hookworms. The sensitivity of DWMM was 73.8% for Ascaris, but was around 17% for both Trichuris and hookworms. The sensitivity significantly increased with intensity of STH. For Ascaris, the odds for detecting an infection intensity of 1,000 EPG was 6.2 times higher than detecting an infection of 100 EPG. For Trichuris and hookworms, these odds ratios were 7.1 and 14. The diagnostic sensitivity of DWMM is low for STH, but it is able to detect those subjects that are in the highest need of treatment, and hence contributes to the global goal to eliminate STH as a public health problem.

Prevalence of malocclusion in Chinese schoolchildren from 1991 to 2018: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Malocclusion is a common oral health problem in schoolchildren. Literature describing the prevalence of malocclusion varies substantially across China. This study identified the epidemiological characteristics of malocclusion among Chinese schoolchildren from 1991 to 2018. Six English and Chinese electronic databases were searched through November 2018. The search was supplemented by hand searching to identify relevant surveys. The overall prevalence of malocclusion was estimated by a random-effects meta-analysis model, and variations in different groups were assessed by subgroup meta-analysis. Thirty-seven eligible articles describing 117682 samples were investigated. The pooled national prevalence for malocclusion was 47.92% (95% CI: 58.6%-71.9%). For the Angle classification, the overall prevalence rates were 30.07% (95% CI: 25.37%-35.48%), 9.91% (95% CI: 7.41%-13.79%), and 4.76% (95% CI: 3.85%-6.54%) for Class I, Class II, and Class III malocclusion, respectively. A deep overbite (16.67%, 95% CI: 11.50%-23.08%) was shown to be the most common trait of malocclusion. When stratified by sex, males had a slightly higher prevalence than females (RR=1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06). More importantly, an ascending trend and substantial variations across the country were observed. Our results confirmed that malocclusion has become a serious oral health problem in Chinese schoolchildren, highlighting the need for proactive interventions at an early age. Moreover, high-quality epidemiological studies on malocclusion are still required.

STUDY OF PREVALENCE OF ANAEMIA IN SCHOOL CHILDREN OF ARMY PERSONAL AT CANTONMENT AREA, JAIPUR.

Background: Anaemia is one of the most common hematological disease of the pediatric age group. in developing countries prevalence of anaemia is much higher in children. The present study was done at Jaipur to identify prevalence of anemia in children.&#x0D; Methodology: This is a prospective study conducted in school children from June 2018 to June 2019 and includes 500 children residing in cantonment area at jaipur.&#x0D; Results: Prevalence of anaemia was more among females and vegetarians.&#x0D; Conclusion: Anaemia is still a major health problem in our country. Childhood anaemia still continues to be a major public health problem in school children between 6-12 years&#x0D; Keywords: Anaemia, socioeconomic status, Iron Fortification.

Morbidity pattern among primary school children in urban field practice area of a tertiary care center in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: Children are nation’s greatest asset. School children constitute around 25% of total population of India. They are more vulnerable to infections and malnutrition than rest of the population. After the family schools are the most important places of learning for children. A survey among the school children in India revealed that about half of the ailments found are related to unsanitary condition and lack of personal hygiene. Health problems of school children vary from one place to another. Objectives 1. To study the prevalence of morbidity among primary school children.2. To study the morbidity pattern among primary school children.Methodology: Community based cross-sectional study.Methods & Materials: Data was collected through pretested semi-structured questionnaire prepared by the investigators. Data collected were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 21.0 software. Results & Conclusions Total strength of students in the school was 450. Total number of students examined was 423 (94%). Prevalence of morbidity was 38.8%. Highest proportion of students with morbidity was found in class 1 (43.29%). Overall most common morbidity found was skin diseases (25.7%) followed by anaemia (24.0) followed by malnutrition (22.2%) then dental caries (21.7%) followed by URTI (19.4%). Most common referral was ophthalmic reference with (47.91%) students.

SCHOOLCHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS HEALTH PROBLEMS IN SAMARA: CURRENT TRENDS

Objectives - to reveal the health dynamics in schoolchildren in Samara, to identify the types of pathological conditions. Material and methods. We used data from school medical records of pupils in grades 1-4 (2070 children), clinical examination of adolescents aged 14 years (788 people), and data of dynamic monitoring of schoolchildren aged 15-17 years (1002 people). Statistical processing was carried out according to the standard procedure using a package of Windows applications (Excel, Word), Statistica. Results. We revealed the decrease in the number of healthy children from 1st to 4th grade from 27.2% to 8.8%, and an increased quantity of pupils with functional and chronic health conditions. The morbidity analysis of the 1st grade schoolchildren demonstrated the high ranks of nervous system diseases, mental and behavioral disorders (289.3% and 241.6%), the third place was taken by musculoskeletal system pathologies (200.0%), in the fourth - diseases of the respiratory system (148.8%), in the fifth - diseases of the eye (144.1%). In the 4th grade the leader was the diseases of the musculoskeletal system (548.5%), diseases of the eye (374.4%), diseases of the digestive system (167.4%). In adolescents the pathology of musculoskeletal system was most often registered (376.0%), vision impairment was the following (346.6%). Conclusion. In respect to the nosology and dynamics of health problems in schoolchildren it is necessary to identify the risk factors and to implement targeted prevention programs.

Prevalence of anemia among school-age children in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundAnemia continued to become a major public health problem in developing nations including Ethiopia. Especially, school children are more vulnerable for anemia and consequences of anemia. Generating accurate epidemiological data on anemia in school children is an important step for health policy maker. There are limited evidences on anemia prevalence in school-age children in Ethiopia. This study aimed to synthesize the pooled prevalence of anemia in school-age children in Ethiopia.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis was followed the PRISMA guidelines. Comprehensive searched was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, HINARI, and Ethiopian Journal of Health Development for studies published before 2016, supplemented by manual searches to identify relevant studies. Two review authors independently selected studies, extracted data, and assessed quality of studies. The Cochrane Q test and I2 test statistic were used to test heterogeneity through studies. The overall prevalence was calculated using random-effects model of DerSimonian–Laird method.ResultsFrom 831 obtained studies, 13 articles included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of anemia among school children in Ethiopia was 23% (95% CI 18–28%). The prevalence of anemia in male and female school-age children was 27% (95% CI 20 and 34%) and 24% (95% CI 18 and 30%), respectively.ConclusionsThis study found that prevalence of anemia was a moderate public health problem in school children. Due to the complications of anemia for school children, preventative planning and control of anemia among school children in Ethiopia is necessary.

Severity of eczema and mental health problems in Japanese schoolchildren: The ToMMo Child Health Study

BackgroundThe association between eczema and mental health problems in schoolchildren has been underexplored. We aimed to investigate this association with the validated questionnaires. MethodsOf 46,648 invited children, we analyzed 9954 (21.3%) in the 2nd to the 8th grades from the ToMMo Child Health Study conducted in 2014 and 2015, a cross-sectional survey in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. We defined eczema status as “normal,” “mild/moderate,” or “severe,” based on the presence of persistent flexural eczema and sleep disturbance, according to the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Eczema Symptom Questionnaire. Clinical ranges of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) total difficulties scores and four SDQ subcategories of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer problems were defined as scores ≥16, ≥5, ≥5, ≥7, and ≥5, respectively. ResultsThe mean SDQ total difficulties score significantly increased as eczema status worsened (all P ≤ 0.004 for trend). The OR of scores in the clinical range for SDQ total difficulties were 1.51 (95% CI, 1.31–1.74) for mild/moderate eczema and 2.63 (95% CI, 1.91–3.63) for severe eczema (P < 0.001 for trend), adjusted for sex, school grade, current wheeze, and disaster-related factors, using normal eczema as a reference. The association between severity of eczema and four SDQ subcategories showed a similar trend (all P ≤ 0.017 for trend). ConclusionsWe found a significant association between severity of eczema and mental health problems. The presence of eczema was associated with four SDQ subcategories.

A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Sim on Knowledge and Practice Regarding Identification of Health Problems of School Children and their Prevention among the Government Primary School Teachers in selected Rural areas of Bagalkot

Background: The school contains the largest single capture audience for Health Education. At present there are 98 percent million children (50.4 Million boys, and 47.7 Million girls) enrolled in about 5.55 lakh primary schools in India (statistical hand book of India 1992). In rural areas 96.4 present of the population is served by primary schools located within in one kilometer. The school is like a second home for the children. Teachers are best required to be required to undertake the task of Health Education. Their educational background and skills benefit them for this work. RESULTS: Knowledge wise comparison of government primary school teachers in pre-test and post-test reveals the following results. In pre-test, majority of the 45% of government primary school teachers had poor knowledge followed by 30% government primary school teachers with good knowledge, 17.5% had average knowledge and 7.5% of government primary school teachers with excellent knowledge. No government primary school teachers had very poor knowledge. However after administration of SIM. In post test majority of 45% of government primary school teachers had excellent knowledge followed by 27.5% government primary school teachers with good knowledge, 27.5% had average knowledge and No government primary school teachers had very poor knowledge after implementation of SIM. Practice wise comparison of government primary school teachers in pre-test and post-test reveals the following results. In pretest, out of 40 government primary school teachers majority of 72.5% of government primary school teachers had excellent practice followed by 25% government primary school teachers with good practice, 10% had average practice and No government primary school teachers had poor and very poor practice. However after implementation of SIM in post-test highest percentage 92.5% of government primary school teachers had excellent practice followed by 7.5% government primary school teachers with good practice.

Comprehensive study of health problems in school children of Hyderabad, India

Background: It is estimated that over one-fifth of our population comprises of children aged 5-14 years and only 80% of these children are enrolled in schools. A child spends most of the time in school and it is considered an ideal place for learning and growing up of a child. In India due to poverty and prevailing socio-cultural milieu a substantial number of school children suffer from various diseases which can be prevented if diagnosed and treated early. We conducted this study to evaluate the health and the nutritional status of school children and comparison was drawn between the rural and urban school children. Methods: This is a cross sectional prospective study where a total of 500 school children from rural and urban government schools were thoroughly assessed by a detailed clinical examination including anthropometry . Results: It was observed that more than half of the children from both rural (56%) and urban (58%) schools were under nourished. The BCG vaccination coverage was better in urban school children (86.5%), with an overall coverage of 80%.Various other problems were more prevalent in rural school children except respiratory diseases which were observed to be more prevalent in urban school children (7.2%). Conclusions: It was learnt that the morbidity of school age children from the community’s perspective is entirely different from morbidity from health care professional’s perspective. Therefore, educating the community will go a long way in improving the quality of life.

Ocular morbidity screening among school children in Chennai

Background: Child’s vision is most essential for their successful learning. Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school and thereby their future. the A study of pattern of ocular disorders in children is very important because some eye conditions like high Myopia, congenital anomalies invariably lead to Blindness. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of various ocular disorders among school going children in the age group 5-15 years in an urban population. Methods: This cross sectional study was done among school going children of age 5-15 years. The criterion for classifying as visually impaired was visual acuity less than 6/9 in one or both eyes. The sample size was calculated by the prevalence of refractive errors in school children as 20% with an alpha error of 5% and relative precision 10%. Prevalence of ocular morbidities and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. By applying Chi-square tests, the differences in proportions were considered significant at 5% level. Results: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1580 children aged 5- 15 years. Among the selected children, 55.1% were males and 44.9% were females. Children with visual impairment due to various ocular morbidity were 22.3% (353). Among them, 19.3% had refractive error; amblyopia in one eye was 0.9%, followed by vitamin A deficiency 0.6% and congenital anomalies 0.1%. Conclusions: Early detection and treatment of eye health problems in school children is essential for the prevention of blindness.

Dental caries and associated factors among primary school children in Bahir Dar city: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundDental caries is the most common chronic infectious disease of childhood caused by the interaction of bacteria, mainly Streptococcus mutans and sugary foods on tooth enamel. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and associated factors of dental caries among primary school children at Bahir Dar city.MethodsA school based cross-sectional study was conducted at Bahir Dar city from October 2013 to January 2014. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the children. Structured questionnaire was used to interview children and/or parents to collect socio demographic variables. Clinical dental information obtained by experienced dentist using dental caries criteria set by World Health Organization. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis were computed to investigate factors associated with dental caries.ResultsOf the 147 children, 82 (55.4%) were girls. Majority of the children (67.6%) cleaned their teeth using traditional method (small stick of wood made of a special type of plant). The proportion of children having dental caries was 32 (21.8%). Primary tooth decay accounted for 24 (75%) of dental caries. The proportion of missed teeth was 7 (4.8%). The overall proportion of toothache and dental plaque among school children were 40 (27.2%) and 99 (67.3%), respectively. Grade level of 1–4 (AOR = 3.9, CI = 1.49 -10.4), poor habit of tooth cleaning (AOR = 2.6, CI = 1.08 - 6.2), dental plaque (AOR = 5.3, CI = 1.6 - 17.7) and toothache (AOR = 6.3, CI = 2.4 – 15.4) were significantly associated with dental caries.ConclusionDental caries is a common public health problem in school children associated with poor oral hygiene, dietary and dental visit habits. Therefore, prevention measures such as health education on oral hygiene, dietary habits and importance of dental visit are obligatory for children.

Intestinal Parasitic infections and Demographic status of school children in Bhopal region of Central India

Background: School going children of age 6-12 years are the prime victims of intestinal parasitic infections. There is scant information available on the prevalence and distribution of intestinal parasites among school children in Bhopal region of Central India. Aim: To study, (a) prevalence and types of intestinal parasites in school children (b) Demographic status and sanitary habits of school children. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted in 300 rural and 300 urban school children of age 6-12 years. Data collected from their parents on demographic factors and behavioral habits. As consent was obtained only from rural school, stool samples of rural school children were examined for parasites by saline and iodine wet mount. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 40.7%. Giardia intestinalis was the commonest protozoa found (43.44%). Among helminths, Ascaris lumbricoides was predominantly detected (9.84%). Literacy rate of head of family was 85% and 1.67% in rural and urban school children respectively. 49.33% used cloth filter and 41.66% used plain water for drinking in rural area while 15% used cloth filter and 34.66% used plain water for drinking in urban area. 7.33% of children from rural area and 3.0% children from urban area used open field for defecation. Dirty untrimmed nails were found in 86.23% of rural and 28.66% of urban school children. Conclusion: Burden of parasitic infections and poor sanitation are still important public health problems in school children of our region. Creating awareness about health, improving sanitation level and promotion of de-worming could reduce intestinal parasitic infestation.