Implementation of Kenyan comprehensive school health program: improvement and association with students’ academic attainment

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1441-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Akiyama ◽  
Sammy M Njenga ◽  
Doris Wairimu Njomo ◽  
Rie Takeuchi ◽  
Haruki Kazama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Health ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Comprehensive School ◽  
Academic Attainment ◽  
Comprehensive School Health ◽  
School Health Program ◽  
Checklist Score ◽  
The Mean

Abstract There is growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of a comprehensive school health program. However, implementation in developing countries is a challenge. Furthermore, the available information on the association between a comprehensive school health program and students’ academic attainment is limited. In Kenya, a project to verify the effects of a comprehensive school health program was carried out in Mbita sub-county, Homa Bay County from September 2012 to August 2017. This study aimed to clarify the improvement of school health during the project years and the association between school health and students’ academic attainment. Primary schools in Mbita sub-county were selected as study sites. We assessed 44 schools’ scores on a school health checklist developed from the Kenyan Comprehensive School Health Program, the students’ mean score on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), and absenteeism during the project years (2013–16). The mean school health checklist score (n = 44 schools) was 135.6 in 2013, 169.9 in 2014, 158.2 in 2015 and 181.3 in 2016. The difference of the mean score between 2013 and 2016 was significant. In addition, correlation analysis showed a significant association between mean KCPE score in the project years and school health checklist score (Pearson’s coefficient was 0.43, p = 0.004). The results of this study suggest improvements of school health by the implementation of the Kenyan Comprehensive School Health Program and students’ academic attainment.

The Complicated Task of Managing School Health Programs

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 126-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane C. Romano
Keyword(s):  
School Health ◽  
Health Program ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Comprehensive School ◽  
Comprehensive School Health ◽  
Coordinated School Health Program ◽  
School Health Program ◽  
Coordinated School Health ◽  
School Health Programs ◽  
Complicated Task

There is growing awareness of the important link between health and education in our society. Children need to be healthy to learn, and they must learn to be healthy. The 8-component coordinated school health program, developed in the early 1980s, rests on the premise that everybody in a child’s environment can contribute something, although no one can address a child’s health problems effectively by working alone ( Tyson, 1999 ). There is, however, one essential component missing from the coordinated plan: program management. Many of the components of a comprehensive school health program exist in some aspects in our schools. What is lacking is the coordination of these services. School nurses possess the experience, skills, and knowledge necessary to provide the missing link of a comprehensive school health program and must become leaders in this essential effort to care for children and their families.

scholarly journals Kenya comprehensive school health policy: lessons from a pilot program

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Job Wasonga ◽  
Betty Ojeny ◽  
Gordon Oluoch ◽  
Ben Okech
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
School Health ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Comprehensive School ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
Comprehensive School Health ◽  
School Health Program ◽  
School Health Policy

The study assessed the implementation of Kenya comprehensive school health pilot intervention program. This pilot program has informed the Kenya Comprehensive School Health Policy which is a critical document in the achievement of Millennium Development Goals relating to child health, gender equality, universal education and environmental sustainability. The study was based on focus group discussions, field observations and in-depth interviews with government officers who implemented the pilot program. The findings were categorized into implementation process, what is working well, what is not working well and lessons learned. During the course of the study, it was noted that involvement of all stakeholders enhances program ownership and sustainability but if they are not well coordinated or where supportive supervision and monitoring is not carried out, then some components of the comprehensive school health program may not be sustainable. We learnt that comprehensive school health program increases students’ enrolment, attendance and retention, factors that are very important in a country’s human resources development. The study has shown that although the formulation of a policy may be participatory and bottom-top, the implementation requires allocation of enough resources and coordination to bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation.

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