Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Taking health awareness to schools

K. Jeshi

The focus is on domestic and personal hygiene

TEACHING PREVENTION: Interaction between teachers and students is vital in creating health awareness in schools. - Photo: M. Periasamy

COIMBATORE: Health check-ups and guest lectures by doctors are providing awareness on health issues among school students in the city. "The focus is on domestic and personal hygiene. When the awareness is inculcated in children, it easily reaches their parents. When children start advising adults on the harmful effects of garbage accumulation, it can easily bring about a solution," says A. Ramadoss, principal of Perks Matriculation Higher Secondary School.

This year, students from the school would participate in a rally focussing on the significance of public hygiene and also involve in a free eye camp. To ensure good health for students, most of the schools in the city conduct an annual master health check-up, apart from camps for vision and dental health. " Representatives from the Bangalore-based Haemophilia Federation of India talk to our students and conduct tests to check blood haemoglobin levels in children. Doctors are also regularly invited to give a talk on dental care, good vision and hearing and general hygiene," he adds.

At Shri Nehru Vidyalaya, a red ribbon club has been set up to guide students on health-related queries. "Our students and teachers participated in an awareness rally and a three-day workshop on HIV/AIDS. Topics such as adolescence, healthy food habits and personal hygiene, ENT care are discussed during value education classes. The best way to take health awareness among student is by showing them examples of the consequences of poor habits, like for example the kind of dental problems the children face when they fail to brush their teeth," says Punita Chandrasehar, principal.

V. Sekar, Chief Consultant Diabetologist of Coimbatore Diabetes Foundation says creating awareness on lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity should begin at schools. Last year, our surveys found out that 18 to 22 per cent of children in elite schools and in middle class schools are overweight because of intake of high calorie foods and lack of physical activity. School authorities should take the responsibility of spreading the awareness on healthy living among the students. Games and sports should be given importance and students should understand the calorific value of their food items," he adds. According to Seetha Poovaiah, principal of G. Ramasamy Naidu School, counselling on health, food habits and sanitation is important.

The City Health Officer, N. Raghupathy, says in Corporation school, the staff talks to students on preventive measures to be taken against harmful diseases." Each school has a medical unit to monitor development in children.

Health screening is done for students in Class I. Apart from checking for height and weight, tests are carried out to diagnose health related problems too," he adds.

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