A study on health problems among schoolgoing children in selected schools of dist. Hoshiarpur, Punjab

Health problems among school going children had expanded widely and are causing a great harm to the health of children and affecting their quality of life and studies to great extent.

The aim of the study is to assess the health problems among school going children and to prepare guidelines on prevention and management of school health problems among children.

A non experimental descriptive research design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 100 children of age group 5–14 years. The tool used had four sections: socio demographic profile, nutritional status, observational checklist to assess physical health problems and checklist to assess psychosocial health problems of school going children. Guidelines booklets on prevention and management of school health problems were distributed to subjects.

The findings showed that majority of the children i.e. 89% and 88% had mild physical and psychosocial health problems respectively, 11% and 10% children who had moderate physical and psychosocial health problems respectively and none of children were having severe physical health problems and 2% were having severe psychosocial health problems. As per assessment of nutritional status, 39% children had normal nutritional status, 31% had mild malnutrition, 29% had moderate malnutrition and 1% had severe malnutrition.

The study revealed that majority of the school going children had normal nutritional status. They showed mild physical and psychosocial health problems. Thus, school going children were given guidelines for prevention and management of school health problems.