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Research Paper | Public Health | India | Volume 12 Issue 6, June 2023
Medical Screening as an Effective Preventive Strategy among School Children of Boarding Schools: A Cross Sectional Study
Dhakshayani T
Abstract: Background: Schools have direct contact with more than 95% of our nation?s young people aged 5 to 17 years, for about 6 hours per day and up to 13 critical years of their social, psychological, physical, and intellectual development. Schools play an important role in promoting the health and safety of children and adolescents by helping them to establish lifelong health patterns. Healthy students are better learners, and academic achievement bears a lifetime benefit for health. Schools are an ideal setting to teach and provide students with opportunities to improve health related behaviours and manage their chronic health conditions (asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, food allergies, and poor oral health). Regular check - ups and medical screening programmes help to ensure normal development, healthy growth, and protection from preventable disease. Regular medical screening programmes not only help to Makes complete medical records available toa child/parent/doctor/school but also suggest corrective medical interventions and appropriate referrals whenever required. When school health screening policies and practices are put in place, students can grow to be healthy and become successful adults. Recent research illustrates that higher academic grades are associated with more positive individual and cumulative health behaviours among high school students. Objective: To conduct and analyse the medical screening reports of the cadets in Sainik schools. Methods: Quantitative research approach with cross sectional research design was chosen. Study was conducted at Sainik school, Andhra Pradesh. Enumerative sampling method was adopted. Medical screening done as per the protocols of sainik school medical board. Data collection took almost 3 months. Health screening reports of total 686 cadets were analysed by descriptive statistics by using SPSS statistics. For the study, permission obtained from the institutional medical board. Category of fitness of cadets done as per the National Defence Academy. Results: Analysis of medical screening reports of 686 cadets revealed that, majority of cadets are boys& are in the age group of 10 - 12 years. Most of the (75.80%) of cadets are medically fit. About 22.01 % of cadets were in the category of temporarily unfit and very few (1.31%) are in the category of fit but, need specialist consultation followed by less than 1% (0.87%) are only in the category of medically unfit. The reasons for medical unfitness are due myopia, psoriasis and other persistent skin infections. About 29.1% of cadets were temporarily unfit due to overweight followed by (17.9%) under height and underweight. Other reasons for temporarily unfit are DNS, anaemia, underweight, flat foot, colour vision, tooth decay, pes planus, hydrocele, deformed chest, past cardiac surgery, slurred speech and nasal polyp. Conclusion: More than 40% of school - aged children and adolescents have at least one chronic health condition, 1 such as asthma, obesity, other physical conditions, and behaviour/learning problems. The healthcare needs of children with chronic illness can be complex and continuous and includes both daily management and addressing potential emergencies. Evidence - based, effectively coordinated and strategically planned school medical screening programs and services are also necessary for closing the academic achievement gap and promoting health equity.
Keywords: Medical screening, School children, Preventive strategy, Boarding school, National Defence Academy
Edition: Volume 12 Issue 6, June 2023,
Pages: 2743 - 2747