The Impact of School Health Services in Primary Schools in Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between the availability of school health services and the health status of pupils in primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. However, the primary concern of this research work is to achieve the following purpose:
- To identify if the availability of school health facilities should help to improve the health status of pupils in primary schools in FCT, Abuja.
- To find out if the provision of school guidance, supervision should improve the health status of pupils in primary schools in FCT, Abuja.
- To identify if the school inspection for environmental cleanliness should help to improve the health status of pupils in primary schools in FCT, Abuja.
- To investigate if the school nutritional programmes would improve the health status of pupils in primary schools in FCT, Abuja.
- To find out if the availability of school medical assessment and observation has any positive effect on the health status of pupils in primary schools in FCT, Abuja.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter review the related literature of school health services. In examining the relationship of the availability of school health services in primary schools in FCT Abuja the researcher has to depend on entirely on health journals, paper presentation and other related textbooks.
Meaning of Health
Health is termed to be an umbrella term that summarizes the condition in which an individual is said to be emotionally stable, mentally alert and socially well-adjusted to himself and his fellowmen (Nwanachukwu, 2000).
In order to fulfill these broad expectations, the school system has put in place some planned activities referred to as school health services. Over the years, health has been widely misconceived to mean nothing more than a situation in which an individual is neither sick nor injured. The World Health Organization (WHO, 1974) however, knows much better hence health was declared as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of an individual and it is not the absence of disease or infirmity”. Unfortunately, out of ignorance many people do not know the attributes of good health, let alone know how to acquire them and this is where the school health services has to come into play, the school provides all the learning experiences that positively influence the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of individuals on health matters.
The school health services has been regarded as an avenue through which the health of a nations citizenry can be promoted for some specific reasons:
- The school deals with large growing population of children who of course are regarded as the leaders of tomorrow and therefore, whatever health knowledge and practices the pupil imbibes while in school, influence him.
- Pupils are regarded as ambassadors of the school, they should rebuild the health knowledge and habits of their parents and the wider society through their behaviour.
Consequent upon this however, the concept of health has changed with time and social conditions. Health is described as the quality of life that enables individuals to live longest and serve best.
Anderson (1976), defined health as “the quality of physical, emotional and mental well-being which enables one to live effectively and enjoyably.” Health is described as a state in which all the body organs-heart, kidneys, liver, brain etc are functioning properly and supporting each other.
Furthermore, Hochbaum (1980), viewed health as a state of being well, sound or whole in mind, body or soul, well-being especially the state of being free from physical disease or pain,; health is not however the absence of disease, but the ability to function effectively within a given environment Schhiffers, (1980). By implication, the health of the school children or individual is generally considered more than the absence of a minor or major illness; it is however a reflection of the pupils ability to maintain stable emotional status and also to co-exist with other people in an environment. According to Schhiffers (1997) “health is something positive, a joyful responsibilities which life places upon us.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The main focus of this research work is on the availability of school health services on the health status of pupils in primary schools that has boarding facilities as well as school health services in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
The Research Design of the Study
Ex post facto research design was used because of the fact the research was non-experimental in nature. The expost facto that was used is to establish the possible causes of the problem which is already present with the subject, it is against this backdrop that useful information were collected from the target population (pupils) using structured questionnaire which contain some personal information about the respondents and school health services.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Introduction
This chapter presents the statistical analysis of the data collected from the primary school pupils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in relation to the impact of health services on the pupils. Attempt was made at providing solution to the research questions of the study. The actual statistical tests were carried out to analyse each of the hypothesis The last section of the chapter presents the discussions of the findings and solutions to the research questions and the hypothesis of the study.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
This study, investigated the availability of school health services and the health status of pupils in primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Structured questionnaire were used as instrument to collect some useful information from the respondents on the availability of school health services in the schools. The questionnaire contains two parts A and B. Part A contains demographic characteristics of the respondents. Part B contains section A – G information on school health services. The five points of Likert Scale was used, where the respondents indicated their degree of agreement or disagreement to the statement as: SA- Strongly Agree – (5), A- Agree – (4), UD- Undecided- (3), DDisagree- (2), SD- Strongly- Disagree (1), A total of 375 subjects were sampled randomly from the population of 17,577 from 18 primary schools of FCT Abuja, to serve as respondents in this study. The questionnaire was thus, duely completed and submitted A total of was 245 questionnaire were statistically analyzed using frequency and percentage. For the demographic characteristics of the respondents, means and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (PPMC) was used to test the hypothesis postulated. A number of research questions and hypothesis were formulated which were subjected to a statistical analysis.
The analysis consisted of the provision of some solutions to the research questions and a test of the study’s hypothesis. The test was made up of one major hypothesis and five sub-hypothesis. The major hypothesis tests for significant difference between school health services and pupils’ health status. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation co-efficient (PPMC) procedure was used for the test of the various hypothesis. The result did not show a significant relationship between the two variables. The hypothesis stated was therefore uphold.
Conclusion
On the basis of the result presented in the subsequent chapters, the following conclusions was drawn:
- The availability of school health services have been so insufficient to cope with frequent cases of explosion of epidemic diseases among school children.
- A proper school health services that embraces the health counselling of pupils by health personnel is not significantly sufficient to meet up with the health status of pupils.
Recommendations
On the basis of the findings of the research study, the following recommendations are made:
- School health education programme should be made available as part of the school extra curricular activities to create adequate awareness on the available health services in the school environment since it was observed that some pupils do not actually recognize the importance of school medical examination.
- The various school authority should ensure that regular supply of some medical equipments like measurement scale, growth chart, thermometer, sickbay, equipped first aid boxes are supplied to their school for regular medical examination of the pupils.
- The control of communicable and non communicable diseases in schools should be included as part of the school health services since it was observed from the research study that these services are practically not available in the school medical and health programme.
- Food vendors should be properly screened before they are allowed to cook, handle or sell food to school children.
- Qualify medical health personnel should be encouraged to carry out routine medical examination of pupils and further referrals, should be made when necessary for further medical attention.
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