An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia
Background: School health and nutrition programmes improve the health and nutritional status of learners, yet their implementation status in Zambia remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the implementation of school health and nutrition programme in one of the districts in Zambia.Methods: This...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of School Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_48778_24ec88719556798c585625ba1bea51db.pdf |
| _version_ | 1828080733001875456 |
|---|---|
| author | Mulenga Napanje Lisanne Du Plessis Maritha Marais |
| author_facet | Mulenga Napanje Lisanne Du Plessis Maritha Marais |
| author_sort | Mulenga Napanje |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: School health and nutrition programmes improve the health and nutritional status of learners, yet their implementation status in Zambia remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the implementation of school health and nutrition programme in one of the districts in Zambia.Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in Lusaka district, in 2015. The participating schools, including only state schools in Lusaka district were selected using stratified sampling method. Community and privately owned schools were not included. Herein, 40 school health and nutrition programme coordinators completed a questionnaire based on the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. Quantitative data were analysed via Microsoft Excel and Stata. The data obtained from open-ended questions were subjected to content analysis with prominent themes generated.Results: A School health and nutrition programme was observed in 42.5% (n=17) of the schools, but with no significant differences (P=0.601) between the urban and peri-urban ones. Due to insufficient funds and lack of supervision, only some of the recommended activities were implemented, such as school gardens, deworming, vitamin A and iron supplementation, and health education. The schools implementing school health and nutrition activities noted positive changes such as improvement in school attendance, pass rate, and a reduction in diarrhoea and bilharzia among their learners.Conclusion: School health and nutrition programme was implemented by less than half of the schools, still only partially. The effective implementation of the school health and nutrition programme is crucial to improve the health and nutritional status of learners. This necessitates that the Ministry of Education consistently follow up on school health and nutrition implementation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:23:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed3c40e22e8d4579bc0d777fb4612f01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2345-5152 2383-1219 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:23:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Shiraz University of Medical Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of School Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed3c40e22e8d4579bc0d777fb4612f012023-01-02T08:20:00ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesInternational Journal of School Health2345-51522383-12192022-10-019410.30476/intjsh.2022.94680.124748778An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, ZambiaMulenga Napanje0Lisanne Du Plessis1Maritha Marais2Division of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, South AfricaDivision of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, South AfricaDivision of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, South AfricaBackground: School health and nutrition programmes improve the health and nutritional status of learners, yet their implementation status in Zambia remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the implementation of school health and nutrition programme in one of the districts in Zambia.Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in Lusaka district, in 2015. The participating schools, including only state schools in Lusaka district were selected using stratified sampling method. Community and privately owned schools were not included. Herein, 40 school health and nutrition programme coordinators completed a questionnaire based on the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. Quantitative data were analysed via Microsoft Excel and Stata. The data obtained from open-ended questions were subjected to content analysis with prominent themes generated.Results: A School health and nutrition programme was observed in 42.5% (n=17) of the schools, but with no significant differences (P=0.601) between the urban and peri-urban ones. Due to insufficient funds and lack of supervision, only some of the recommended activities were implemented, such as school gardens, deworming, vitamin A and iron supplementation, and health education. The schools implementing school health and nutrition activities noted positive changes such as improvement in school attendance, pass rate, and a reduction in diarrhoea and bilharzia among their learners.Conclusion: School health and nutrition programme was implemented by less than half of the schools, still only partially. The effective implementation of the school health and nutrition programme is crucial to improve the health and nutritional status of learners. This necessitates that the Ministry of Education consistently follow up on school health and nutrition implementation.https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_48778_24ec88719556798c585625ba1bea51db.pdfschool health and nutrition programmehealth promotionmicronutrient supplementationschool learnerszambia |
| spellingShingle | Mulenga Napanje Lisanne Du Plessis Maritha Marais An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia International Journal of School Health school health and nutrition programme health promotion micronutrient supplementation school learners zambia |
| title | An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia |
| title_full | An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia |
| title_fullStr | An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia |
| title_short | An Observational Study of the School Health and Nutrition Programme in State Schools in Lusaka District, Zambia |
| title_sort | observational study of the school health and nutrition programme in state schools in lusaka district zambia |
| topic | school health and nutrition programme health promotion micronutrient supplementation school learners zambia |
| url | https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_48778_24ec88719556798c585625ba1bea51db.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mulenganapanje anobservationalstudyoftheschoolhealthandnutritionprogrammeinstateschoolsinlusakadistrictzambia AT lisanneduplessis anobservationalstudyoftheschoolhealthandnutritionprogrammeinstateschoolsinlusakadistrictzambia AT marithamarais anobservationalstudyoftheschoolhealthandnutritionprogrammeinstateschoolsinlusakadistrictzambia AT mulenganapanje observationalstudyoftheschoolhealthandnutritionprogrammeinstateschoolsinlusakadistrictzambia AT lisanneduplessis observationalstudyoftheschoolhealthandnutritionprogrammeinstateschoolsinlusakadistrictzambia AT marithamarais observationalstudyoftheschoolhealthandnutritionprogrammeinstateschoolsinlusakadistrictzambia |