Public health and pre-school children

1. Public health and pre-school children By Dr Sabah Mohamed Abdelkader Assist Prof of Public Health

2. Child public health (CPH) Defined as: “organized efforts of society to develop public health policies to promote children’s and young people’s health, to prevent disease, to foster equity within a framework of sustainable development”.

3. Importance of pre-school stage • Invisible population. • Lacking freedom of making choice. • Influenced by others, parents, grandparents, media.

4. Barriers • Partnership with parents is complex depending on factors like: • 1. Time. • Resource availability. • Commitment. • Mutual respect. • Trust between all parties.

5. Aims of child public health • Child health promotion. • Disease prevention and child protection. • Improving health and wellbeing of future population. • Working with parents, agencies, and groups to develop early intervention strategies.

6. Factors affecting child health • Health inequality. • Socio-economic factors, many live in deprived areas. • Specific risk factors. ???? • Parents. • Age. • Sex. • Genetics.

7. How to improve child health? • Individual health promotion, as early promotion improve health in adulthood, and being a cost-effective approach for future generation. • Targeting parents as children are under their influence. • Intensive home visiting for children and families by health visitors and midwives for early intervention.

8. Outcomes of CPH • 1. Be healthy. • 2. Stay safe. • 3. Enjoy and achieve. • 4. Make a positive contribution. • 5. Achieve economic wellbeing. Understanding health inequalities is crucial for policy development and directing services according to HNA.

9. Public health and school health

10. Introduction • Healthy school setting is defined as: “a place where young people engage in daily education activities in which environmental, organizational and personal factors interact to affect health and wellbeing”. (WHO)

11. Importance of school • Young children who adopt unhealthy behaviours continue these habits into adulthood. • Educational attainment plays a role in determining future health status, healthy children perform better academically.

12. Objectives of school health • Health promotion of school children. • Prevention and control of health hazards. • Rehabilitation of the handicapped. • Provision of health appraisal.

13. A- Health promotion • Adequate nutrition. • Sanitary school environment. • Fulfilling needs of mental development. • Physical exercise and activities. • Prevention of mental fatigue. • Social activities and recreation.

14. Role of school • School feeding program. • Nutritional education of children and families. • Dietary supplementation according to local deficiency problems. • Prevention and control of parasitic diseases. • Health appraisal for early detection of malnutrition.

15. School environment • Value of sanitary environment: • Basic preventive measure of communicable diseases. • Contributes to health promotion of children. • Provide feeling of comfort, better achievement. • Gives good example of clean environment.

16. Components of school environment 1. School building: Must be away from sources of noise, pollution, with suitable area for playground. 2. Classrooms: * Suitable shape, area, and number of pupils. * Adequate ventilation, windows on both side walls (20% of floor’s area) * Adequate lighting. * Properly designed desks and seats.

17. 3. Water supply: Safe source and suitable number of sanitary drinking fountains. 4. Waste disposal: • Collection and disposal of refuse. • Suitable number of clean promises (W.C) 5. Insect control: 6. Food sanitation: • Sanitary kitchen, canteen and stores. • Food handlers sanitary requirements. • Food stuff fulfill specified requirements

18. B. Prevention of health hazards • Infectious diseases. • Parasitic diseases. • Nutritional deficiencies. • Accidents and injuries.

19. 1. Infectious diseases Predisposing factors: • Insanitary school environment. • Faulty habits of children and personnel. • Lowered body resistance to infection. • Presence of reservoirs of infections. Overall effect of infectious diseases: • May cause disease outbreak. • Wasting time, long treatment and bed rest. Prevention: Assignment for those who didn’t submit gp assign

20. 2. Parasitic diseases Predisposing factors: • Insanitary school environment. • Bad habits. • Ineffective health service, case finding and treatment. Hazards of parasitic diseases: • Diminished physical and mental development. • Impaired health, activity and vitality. • Contribute to malnutrition. • Resulting in morbidity and complications.

21. 3. Nutritional deficiencies • Predisposing factors: • Inadequate home and school feeding. • Nutrition ignorance of child and family, faulty food habits (breakfast, snacks, sweets, drinks). • Parasitic diseases. Manifestations: • General picture: impaired appetite, easy fatigue, lack of alertness, weak muscles. • Specific picture: according to type (assign)

22. 4. Accidents and injuries • Can be wounds, bleeding, broken teeth, eye injuries, fractures…. Etc. Control: First aid and emergency services including transport and referral if necessary. Prevention: Education of pupils for safety rules. Supervising them during play. Removing any source of injury in school.

23. C- Rehabilitation of handicapped • Some forms of handicaps in schools: • Heart disease: congenital or rheumatic. • Musculoskeletal deformities: polio. • Impaired vision: errors of refraction. • Impaired hearing: acquired from neglected chronic O.M or injury by foreign body.

24. Medical care in schools • Includes: • Health appraisal. • First aid service.

25. 1. Health appraisal • Comprehensive medical examination. • Screening tests. • Clinical services. • Survey study.

26. 2. First aid service • First aid facilities and trained personnel must be available for rapid management of emergency or transferring to medical center if necessary.

27. Thank you