The Effect of Health Education Provided to Primary School Students on Screening Results

Abstract

Background: Today, school health nurses should perform health screenings, case management, health education and counseling, sanitation and safety of the school environment in addition to standard nursing practices and evaluate the results of interventions. Hypotheses H1. Hygiene and health screening results of children from families with low economic status are negative. H2. Health education given to primary school students affects the screening results. Objectives: This study aimed to find the effect of health education given to primary school students on health screening results. Method: This research is a pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental model with a single experimental group. The whole universe has been reached in the research. 460 primary school students participated in the pre-test screening and 400 students in the post-test screening. An Introductory Information Form and Screening Test Application Form were used to collect data. After all the students in the school were educated about cleaning habits and proper nutrition, the contribution of the education to the screening results was evaluated. Findings: It was determined that the children with head lice were girls, had a lower income, and whose mothers had never been to school (p<0.05). More dandruff was detected in children of worker father and children who went to the second grade. It was determined that 117 of the first-year students had dental caries and hygiene problems, and these problems were an important difference. According to the results of the height and weight screening at the pretest stage, the average height and weight of the students were 124.8 ± 7.32 and 24.93 ± 4.93, respectively. In the final stage, the average height and weight were 127.27 ± 7.39and 26.34 ± 5.34, respectively. A significant difference was found between pretest and posttest screening results (p<0.05). According to the data obtained from the students’ visual scans, 29.8% and 2.7% were determined to have vision problems between 20 ft and 30 ft and between 40 ft and 50 ft, respectively. According to the data obtained from 50 the screening criteria in the last test phase, 13.2% and 1% of the students had dandruff and lice, respectively. When the results of the students regarding oral hygiene are examined, 60% had decayed teeth. According to the visual screening results, 7.8% and 0.9% of them had problems in their vision range of 20–30 ft and 40–50 ft. The students who had tooth decay and vision problems were treated after the pretest screening. When the pretest posttest scans were compared, it was determined that the rate of head lice decreased, and this was a significant difference (p<0.05). Result: These results show the importance of increasing the support of economically weak regions regarding health education.