School Health Practice Research Articles

Promoting healthy practices among schools and children in rural bangladesh: a randomised controlled trial of skill-based health education

BackgroundPoor child health and hygiene practices are persistent issues in resource-constrained settings, particularly in low-income countries. This study assessed the impact of skill-based health education (SBHE) on school and child hygiene practices in rural Bangladesh.MethodsA cluster-randomised-controlled intervention with cross-cutting/factorial design was conducted in 180 randomly selected primary schools, stratified by school type, in Jhenaidah District, Bangladesh. Weekly SBHE sessions were delivered to half of the schools by locally recruited para-teachers for one year. A cross-cutting soap provision treatment was given monthly to half of the SBHE-treatment schools and half of the SBHE-control schools. Treatment assignment was masked to all baseline and endline surveyors. Data were collected at both the school and child levels, with child-level data aggregated at the school level. Outcome measures were grouped into five thematic families. The primary outcome families were school hygiene practice & maintenance, school-aggregated child handwashing and school-aggregated child dentalcare. Utilising the difference-in-differences estimator with seemingly unrelated regression, we estimated the average treatment effect for each family of multiple outcomes. The intervention spillover effect to neighbouring schools along with the time-period effect were also evaluated. The project’s cost-effectiveness was additionally assessed.ResultsOur findings revealed that SBHE had a positive impact on primary outcomes related to healthy practices and behavioural changes, resulting in a 0.32SD improvement in school hygiene practices and maintenance (p < 0.001), a 0.47SD increase in child handwashing (p < 0.001), and a 0.43SD enhancement in child dentalcare (p < 0.01). Despite its imperfect implementation, the provision of soap itself showed no significant effect. Furthermore, significant spillover effects of healthy practices were observed in neighbouring non-treatment schools. The cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that our SBHE program was cost-effective.ConclusionsOur study provides compelling evidence of the positive impact of SBHE on school hygiene and child health practices in rural Bangladesh, with notable spillover effects. The cost-effectiveness analysis underscores the value of SBHE, affirming its potential as an effective intervention method in improving school health and hygiene practices in primary schools and beyond.

Relationship Between Primary School Teachers' COVID-19 Fear Levels and COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes After the Start of Face-to-face Education During the Pandemic Period: A School Health Study.

Starting face-to-face education while the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing was a risk for public health. Determining teachers' initial reactions to public health practices during this high-risk period may contribute to the redesign of public health and school nursing policies. The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between primary school teachers' COVID-19 fear levels and COVID-19 vaccine attitudes. The research has a descriptive correlational design. The data were obtained from teachers working in primary schools (n = 430). Simple random sampling method was used in the data collection process. Data were obtained with the Scale of Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccine and Fear of COVID-19 Scale. In the study, 50.5% of teachers reported that they were afraid of catching COVID-19, 41.9% said their risk of catching COVID-19 was "high," and 87.7% reported that they voluntarily got the COVID-19 vaccine. Of the teachers, 4.6% (n = 20) stated that they regretted getting vaccinated. A positive and significant relationship was found between teachers' Fear of COVID-19 Scale and COVID-19 Vaccine Attitude Scale scores (r = 0.133, p < 0.001). During the pandemic, it was observed that teachers' fear level of COVID-19 increased with the start of face-to-face education. In addition, it is seen that teachers started to have doubts about some public health practices. This may indicate that public health nurses should take a more active role in school health practices.

The Role of School Counselors in Promoting Sanitation Practices and Resilient Communities to Enhance Child Health and Livelihoods

The study utilized a descriptive survey design to investigate the role of teacher counselors in promoting health and sanitation practices in schools across Anambra State, Nigeria. A purposive sampling technique selected 103 respondents and data were gathered using a structured online questionnaire. The instrument included demographic data, roles, sanitation practices, with responses measured on a 4-point Likert scale. Validated by experts, the questionnaire demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.65). Data analysis involved calculating frequencies and percentages for each response category. The findings reveal that school counselors significantly contribute to improving sanitation awareness, facilitating community engagement, and implementing effective hygiene programs. A majority of respondents recognized the counselors’ effectiveness in collaborating with local leaders, creating awareness campaigns, and connecting students with sanitation initiatives. The study highlights a strong correlation between counselor-led sanitation programs and improved health outcomes for children, including reduced illness rates and enhanced personal hygiene practices. Furthermore, it emphasizes the necessity for ongoing training and support for counselors to maximize their impact on community resilience and public health.

Ready to Learn: A Concept Analysis for the Intersection of Health and Education.

Since the inception of the National Education Goals in 1989, the United States has enacted policies focused on student readiness to learn, but there is no single or clear definition of ready to learn. Education quality and access are social determinants of health. However, students do not learn well if they are not healthy. This concept analysis explores the connection between health and education across multiple domains. Utilizing the Walker-Avant method, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and the Journal of School Nursing were searched for literature related to ready to learn. Definitions were synthesized from the literature, resulting in a concept of ready to learn encompassing health and thriving at individual, family, school, and community levels. Ready to learn is the result of multiple domains working synergistically to support health and thriving across the lifespan. School health practice improves with a robust understanding of this ready to learn model.

Beyond School Climate: Conceptualizing the School as a Protective Factor Approach.

The school climate concept has been promising, but has long-standing critiques that have not been adequately addressed to date. The School as a Protective Factor approach represents one attempt to offer a new approach that builds on and extends beyond the concept of school climate while addressing previously identified limitations. The School as a Protective Factor approach offers a new framework for conceptualizing, measuring, and establishing protective school social and learning environments that co-promote academic achievement and student health in schools, especially student mental health and substance use/abuse prevention. This new framework includes clear definitions, explicit goals, firmly established constructs, validated measures, and an intentionally parsimonious approach that prioritizes the implementation of well-established, high-impact constructs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: The School as a Protective Factor approach presents a simple, easy-to-use means of ensuring a school social environment that meets the developmental, academic, and health needs of all children and adolescents while maximizing protection across a range of desired outcomes. Perhaps most importantly, it does so in a manner that is manageable and easily integrated into every aspect of schooling, resonates with the practical experience of school personnel, and includes brief, effective, and free measurement tools.

School Occupational Health and Safety Performance Scale: Validity and Reliability Study for Scale Development

The aim of this study is to develope a scale to evaluate the performance of occupational health and safety practices in schools. The form created for this purpose was presented to experts and the content validity rates of the items were determined in line with the feedback received. The items with a content validity ratio below .80 were excluded from the study. The 49-item trial form was applied via e-mail to 990 teachers working at primary, secondary, and high school levels in public and private schools in İstanbul, affiliated with the Ministry of National Education, and the data obtained were analyzed. With exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), a two-dimensional structure consisting of 40 items in total revealed "Occupational Health and Safety Training Practices Applied in Schools" and "Occupational Health and Safety Practices Applied in Schools, Managerial Precautions and Precautions". It was determined that the goodness of-fit indices of the model were quite high. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) also confirmed the EFA results. The obtained correlation coefficients were examined. Item-total score correlation coefficients were between r = .878 and r = .650, and a significant relationship was observed at the p &lt; .01 level. The internal consistency coefficient obtained for the entire scale was .92. There was a significant (p&lt; 0.05) difference between the items and the total score between the 27% lower and 27% upper groups. It was determined that this difference was in favor of the upper 27% group. There was high reliability in the items on the scale, and the items were distinguishable on the basis of the characteristics the scorers of the scale were looking for.

New Online Tool From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tracks School Health Policies and Practices

The publisher regrets that this article has been temporarily removed. A replacement will appear as soon as possible in which the reason for the removal of the article will be specified, or the article will be reinstated. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal.

Using the Theory of Learning Organisations to Understand the Role of Principals in School Health Promotion: A Case Study

The role of principals is increasingly recognised as important in school health promotion. There is a significant body of literature regarding school health promotion and its benefits for learners and the school community, but little is known about the role of principals. Using Senge’s theory of learning organisations as a framework, this study qualitatively sought to understand the roles of principals in promoting healthy school environments. The study used a combination of semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups to gather data from six school management team members; seven teachers; and three school governing body members from a high school in Fezile Dabi District of the Free State. Individual interview data was obtained and focus group discussions were conducted to confirm the findings. The data gathered was analysed using a combination of inductive classification and theory analysis. The study’s main findings demonstrate that principals should (i) provide leadership in health promotion activities within their schools and in collaborations and partnerships with the external community and (ii) have personal mastery, vision, knowledge and thinking skills to be able to play their role effectively. Furthermore, it was found that all five principles of the theory of learning organisation can be used to understand the role of principals in school health promotion. Based on these findings it is recommended that a learning culture be created in schools. The findings of this research suggest implications regarding both the practice of providing leadership in school health promotion and practices in the preparation of principals and teachers for the task of School Health Promotion. Keywords: Learning Organisations, School Health Promotion, School leadership, Team Learning

Reliability of the 2020 School Health Profiles Principal and Lead Health Education Teacher Questionnaires.

School Health Profiles assesses school health policies and practices among US secondary schools. The 2020 School Health Profiles principal and teacher questionnaires were used for a test-retest reliability study. Cohen's kappa coefficients tested the agreement in dichotomous responses to each questionnaire variable at 2 time points. The aggregate prevalence estimates between time 1 and time 2 were compared for each questionnaire item via overlapping 95% confidence intervals. Chi-square tests examined whether the prevalence at time 2 differed between paper and web administration for both questionnaires. For the principal (N = 50) and teacher (N = 34) data, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of any items between time 1 and time 2. For the principal survey, the mean kappa for 191 variables was 0.49. For the teacher survey, the mean kappa for 260 variables was 0.65. Overall, 60.7% of principal and 91.1% of teacher questionnaire items had at least "moderate" reliability. School Health Profiles offers education and health agencies a reliable tool to monitor school policies and practices.

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of School Function Assessment in Children with Special Needs

ABSTRACT Background To assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish Version of School Function Assessment in children with special needs. Methods School children between 6 and 12 years of age with special needs and their typically developing counterparts participated in the study. The School Function Assessment (SFA) was the main outcome with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory providing data for the convergent construct validity analysis. Results The SFA’s convergent construct validity analysis results were satisfactory. There were no differences between genders, and significant differences between children with and without special needs; showing an acceptable discriminative construct validity and known-group validity for the SFA. The Cronbach’s alpha scores were over 0.90 for all domains, showing an excellent internal consistency. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice and Equity Wide usage of the SFA in school settings can enable tailoring specific educational and rehabilitative interventions through making the children’s limitations and strengths within the school context clear. Conclusions The results indicate that the Turkish version of the SFA is a valid and reliable assessment tool for school children with disabilities. This tool can help teachers and therapists to understand children’s school functioning.

The effectiveness of sexual health and development education given to children with intellectual disabilities: A randomized controlled study

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of an educational program implemented to support the sexual health and development of children with intellectual disabilities, using the Mastery Learning Model, on their knowledge of sexual health and development, as well as on their mothers' awareness of their children's sexual development. MethodThis study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with 48 children who have intellectual disabilities, divided into two groups: an education group (n = 24) and a control group (n = 24). The program implemented was a sexual health and development education program based on the Mastery Learning Model. The data collection tools used were ‘The Sexual Development Characteristics of Children with Adolescent Intellectual Disability Scale’ for mothers and ‘The Sexual Development Knowledge Assessment Scale for Children with Intellectual Disabilities’ for children. ResultsFollowing the educational program, the children in the education group demonstrated an increase in knowledge regarding their sexual development and health. Additionally, the mothers in the education group showed an increased awareness of their children's sexual health and development. One month after implementing the education program, which utilized mastery learning, the children in the education group exhibited a greater level of knowledge compared to the control group. ConclusionThis study utilized the Mastery Learning Model to achieve effective and comprehensive sexual health and development education for children with intellectual disabilities. Practice implicationsPediatric and school nurses are recommended to use the Mastery Learning Model for sexual health education in clinics and school health practices.

Trends in diversity-related learning among secondary schools in 35 US states, 2014-2018.

School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a national surveillance system operated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A school-based system of surveys, Profiles monitors school health policies and practices in US states and other jurisdictions through questionnaires completed by school principals and lead health education teachers. This study used the Profiles principal survey to identify trends in US schools' implementation of diversity-related learning opportunities (i.e., opportunities to learn about people who are different from them) in secondary classroom and extracurricular settings. Logistic regression models using data from three cycles of School Health Profiles from 35 US states examined trends in the percentages of secondary schools offering students diversity-related learning opportunities in the following settings, each measured by using dichotomous yes/no response options: a) clubs; b) lessons in class; and c) special events (e.g., multicultural week, family night) sponsored by the school or community organisations. During 2014-2018, no states experienced decreases in opportunities for students to learn about people who are different from them; most states demonstrated no significant change. Findings suggest efforts are needed to strengthen capacity for and prioritisation of policies, programmes, and practices promoting diversity and culturally relevant education in schools, and in turn, promote positive health and educational outcomes for youth.

Forgotten Voices: The Onerous Role of School Health Nurses Residential Schools of India- A View Point

Background: School health nursing is a specialized practice that addresses students' well-being. Apart from routine health screening, immunization, and health education, the role of school health nurses is expanding to deal with public health crises. remains a challenging concept to practice school health nursing. This article reflects on the challenges of school health nurses and methods to overcome these challenges at different levels- Individual, Professional, Organizational, and Policymaking Methods: Continuing professional education is the best way to manage school health nursing challenges. Upgradation of knowledge and skills can offer new career opportunities. The following are the methods to overcome the challenges discussed above. Results: Discrepancies in guidelines and protocols and lack of written standing orders for school health practice reflect inconsistent and incompatible expectations and demands at work. Information deficits concerning which tasks and responsibilities individuals should undertake have been shown to result in work stress. Policies and protocols exist but not in reality. Policies, protocols, annual performance appraisal records, and training schedules exist for school health nurses but not in reality and practice Conclusion: In residential schools, the school nurse is often the only healthcare professional to meet the students and staff's routine and emergency needs. The work of school nurses is essential in supporting children to have a whole, active, and healthy school life. With such an important role, adequate school nurses must be recruited and provided with the necessary power and infrastructure to ensure their positive contribution to student’s health

Chronic Health Condition Management and School-Based Health Centers in New York: Findings From the 2020 School Health Profiles Survey.

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are associated with numerous positive aspects of student health services. Many schools in the United States (US) do not have transparent policies on chronic health condition (CHC) management. Of particular concern is the underreporting of the delivery of health services in U.S. schools concerning CHC management and its relationship with the presence or absence of a SBHC. Data from the 2020 School Health Profiles (SHP) Survey were examined in New York public secondary schools. Specific health services were reviewed, together with the presence or absence of a SBHC, including daily medication administration, stock rescue medication, case management services, community partners, chronic disease-specific education, and assurance that students with CHCs were enrolled in an insurance program. A significantly greater proportion of schools with a SBHC compared with schools without a SBHC provided: (1) daily medication administration (92.9% vs. 86.5%; p < .001), (2) stock or rescue medication (84.9% vs. 77.4%; p < .001), (3) case management services (83.1% vs. 67.2%; p < .001), (4) disease-specific education for families (63.1% vs. 57.2%; p = .022), (5) student and family connection to community health services (84.2% vs. 76.5%; p < .001), and (6) ensured that a protocol existed whereby students with a CHC were enrolled in an insurance plan if eligible (79.6% vs. 66.8%; p < .001). Findings suggest that data on a national scale include essential facts for states to consider concerning school health policies and practices. Additional research should examine the intricacy of elements connected with school-based health care to understand better the care provided to children with CHCs.

Sitting Less for Success: Reducing Sedentary Behaviors to Increase Kindergarten Achievement.

Physical activity (PA) improves outcomes, but disadvantaged children typically experience more sedentary behavior (SB). This study explored movement, executive function (EF) health, and academic achievement (AA) for economically disadvantaged kindergarteners. Children in 2 classrooms (n = 16; n = 7) wore wrist-based accelerometers to assess PA/SB during the school day. Independent t-tests and analysis of variance analyzed mean group differences in PA/SB and EF/AA, and correlations explored AA and EF associations. The movement-based class spent significantly less time in SB compared to the contemporary class (t = 2.552, g = 1.115), made greater reading (t = -2.611) and math (t = .967) gains, and had better EF (t = .012). There were significant negative correlations between SB and math (r = -.534) and reading (r = -.592), but no significant relationships with EF. Schools should consider methods to decrease time spent in SB at lower-SES schools, which is financially feasible and less time-consuming than programs to increase PA. Decreased SB time was associated with better AA. More research is needed to determine whether interventions to decrease time spent in SB at school improve academic outcomes in disadvantaged children.

A comparison study of environmental health related issues and policies between private and public U.S. schools using multi-level data

ObjectiveLittle is known about school environmental health (EH) problems in private schools. This study identified and compared the school EH related issues and policies between private and public schools in the U.S. MethodsSchool EH information was collected from school administrators on two levels – in New York State (NYS) and nationwide. In NYS, questionnaires were developed and distributed to administrators from both public and private schools via conferences (2015–2016). Nationwide survey data were obtained from the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study. We compared the perceived school environment as well as policies related to identification and training on EH issues between private and public schools both in NYS and nationwide. ResultsIn NYS, both private and public schools reported limited use of proactive approaches in identifying EH issues. Compared to public schools, more private school respondents reported poorer perceived indoor air quality (IAQ) (30% vs. 0%), along with less routine training and lower use of policies that help improve air quality in school. Nationwide, fewer private schools implemented indoor air quality management programs (18% vs. 58%) and were able to always meet ventilation standards (44% vs. 64%) than public schools. Staff members in private schools received less required training on a wide range of EH issues than staff members in public schools. ConclusionU.S. private schools reported worse perceived indoor air quality than public schools and a lack of awareness and protective policies. Future environmental research and implementation of policies are needed in private schools.

Effectiveness of a participatory approach to develop school health interventions in four low resource cities: study protocol of the ‘empowering adolescents to lead change using health data’ cluster randomised controlled trial

IntroductionComprehensive local data on adolescent health are often lacking, particularly in lower resource settings. Furthermore, there are knowledge gaps around which interventions are effective to support healthy behaviours. This study...

학교급별 보건교사의 학교보건 실무역량과 전문직 태도

Objectives This study aims to provide basic data for the development of a health teacher training program that can enhance the school health practice competency of health teachers in the future by identifying the level of school health teachers' practical competency and professional attitude, and identifying the correlation.&#x0D; Methods A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on general characteristics, school health practice competency, and professional attitude of 1,267 elementary, middle, and high school health teachers in Gyeonggi-do. The analysis method was t-test using SPSS / WIN 23.0, ANOVA, Scheffé test, and Pearson Coefficient Correlation were conducted, and the statistical significance level was set at 0.05.&#x0D; Results For school health practice competency, elementary school scored 147.59 points, middle school 148.17 points, and high school 143.55 points, which were statistically significant (F=6.35, p=.002). Among the school health practice competencies, the item that answered the highest was ‘gender problem solving ability’ (F=8.19, p&lt;.001), understanding of physical development 17.64 points (F=4.08, p=.017), and family function. 16.82 points for understanding (F=3.62, p=.027), and 16.79 points for understanding the conceptual framework of school health came out significantly (F=8.50, p&lt;.001). The item with the lowest practical competency was ‘ability to use systems’ (F=4.26, p=.014). Professional attitudes were also higher in elementary and middle schools than in high schools (F=4.50, p=0.11). The item with the highest professional attitude score was ‘professionals require continuing education’, with 3.94 points for elementary school, 3.92 points for middle school, and 3.86 points for high school (F=7.63, p=.001). There was a positive correlation between school health practice competency and professional attitude (r=.42, p&lt;.001). Comparing the results of a study measured in 2002 with the same tool as this study, it was found that school health teachers' practical competency in school health increased, but their professional attitude decreased.&#x0D; Conclusions Based on the results of this study, There was a significant difference in the school health practical competency scores of elementary, middle and high school health teachers by school level, so a customized health teacher training program for each school level is needed. You may need to run it as a training course.

Adherence to Recess Guidelines in the United States Using Nationally Representative Data: Implications for Future Surveillance Efforts.

National adherence to the recess recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not been comprehensively studied in the United States. Data from 6 nationally representative data sets over the last decade (Classification of Laws Associated with School Students, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Youth Fitness Survey, School Health Policies and Practices Survey, and the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study) provided estimates for adherence to CDC recess guidelines. While approximately 65-80% of elementary school-children receive the recommended 20+ minutes of daily recess according to parent-, principal-, and school-report, adherence declines by sixth grade, and little information is available for middle/high school students. Adherence to playground safety was high (90%), but adherence to recommendations about recess before lunch (<50%), withholding recess as punishment (∼50%), and training recess staff (<50%) were lower. School policy and practice should align with CDC recommendations, with the aim of providing sufficient quality recess to all youth, K-12th grade. Comprehensive, on-going national surveillance of multiple recess domains is needed to inform policy and ensure equitable provision of recess.

NURSING STUDENTS' EVALUATION OF THE OMAHA CARE SYSTEM

Abstract&#x0D; Objective: This study aimed to determine how nursing students' knowledge of the Omaha care plan has changed following their training in the Omaha classification system. Finding nursing students' opinions on the Omaha system utilized in school health practice was another objective of the study. Materials and Methods: This research covers the qualitative part of a mixed-method intervention study. Students from the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Higher Education, Bursa Uludağ University were interviewed for the study between June and July 2019. The population of the study consisted of 153 students taking public health nursing courses at Bursa Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, and 52 students who agreed to participate in the study were sampled. Numbers, percentages, and a Wilcoxon sign test analysis were utilized to examine the data in the SPSS 23.0 program. To evaluate qualitative data, thematic analysis was employed. Results: The Omaha system total score (p &lt; 0.001), problem classification score (p &lt; 0.001), intervention scheme score (p = 0.016), and problem assessment scale score (p = 0.006) of the students after the training were higher and statistically significant compared to their pre-training scores (p = 0.05). Some students evaluated the Omaha system as a difficult, complex, time-consuming, different, important, professional system that allows evaluation of each stage and questioning of causality; while some students evaluated it as a system that they could not understand at all. Conclusion: As a result of the study, students' knowledge levels increased before and after the training. Keywords: Omaha, Nursing, Student, Evaluation.