A pre-COVID-19 assessment of aspects of the school health programme in some selected Nigerian primary schools: implications for school re-opening during the COVID-19 pandemic in developing country contexts

Abstract

Background Following the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures were part of the global public health response to limit community spread of the virus. In recent times, there has been an emphasis on safe school re-opening. This concept is likely to differ between developed and developing country settings. There are however no published studies on barriers hindering safe school re-opening within developing country contexts. This study evaluates aspects of the school health program (SHP) in some selected Nigerian schools that might relate to the pandemic control during school re-opening. Methods In 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the SHP of 146 registered primary schools in Gwagwalada Area Council in Abuja, Nigeria. These schools provided services to about 54,562 students. We used direct observational methods and interviewer-administered questionnaires to assess the SHP of each school. We compare SHP characteristics that might relate to COVID-19 control in schools across government-owned (public) and privately-owned (private) schools using a pre-defined framework. Results Public school to pupil ratios was more than six times that of private schools. Only 6.9% of all surveyed schools employed qualified health personnel. Although 8 in every 10 schools conducted health talks for communicable disease control, the use of temporary isolation and school-based immunization were low at 1.4 and 2.7% respectively. Pipe-borne water access was present in 4 of 10 schools, with public schools having more limited access than private schools (p = 0.009). Similarly, less proportion of public schools had access to soap for handwashing (p < 0.001). Adequate classroom ventilation was present in 63% of surveyed schools, with private schools having more limited ventilation (p < 0.001). Conclusions Overcrowding and infrastructural deficits within developing country contexts represent barriers to safe school re-opening during the COVID-19 pandemic. In these settings, there needs to be tailored and innovative strategies which consider local practical realities when designing the COVID-19 control programs during school re-opening.

Menstrual hygiene management inequalities among school girls in Badagry, Nigeria

“…Similar trends of inadequate/ unavailable school WASH facilities in other geo-political zones have been reported by Ejimogu et al [32] in Owerri, South-East Nigeria; CODE [33] in Kaduna, Northwestern Nigeria; Yusuf et al [34], in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria; and Sanni et al [35] Gwagwalada, North Central Nigeria. Moreover, the trend of school WASH disparities between public and private schools in this study has also been reported by several other studies in Nigeria [16,21,35,36]. This is mainly because parents of private school students typically have higher educational status and income levels.…”

Pivoting school health and nutrition programmes during COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review

“…Most studies were observational by design (n = 13), such as cross-sectional, cohort, and case studies [ 13 - 16 , 19 - 21 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 30 , 31 ]. Five were experimental studies, which included cluster-randomised controlled trials (n = 2) [ 29 , 35 ], quasi-experimental studies (QES) (n = 2) [ 22 , 34 ], and a feasibility cluster quasi-experimental study (n = 1) [ 33 ].…”

“…The remaining studies (n = 3) were comprised of recommendations related to adapting school health programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 25 , 27 , 32 ]. The following regions were represented across included studies: African Region (n = 7) [ 13 , 14 , 16 - 18 , 26 , 31 ], Region of the Americas (n = 5) [ 15 , 22 – 24 , 30 ], Southeast Asian Region (n = 5) [ 19 , 25 , 27 , 29 , 32 ], Western Pacific Region (n = 4) [ 28 , 33 – 35 ], and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (n = 2) [ 20 , 21 ] ( Table 2 ).…”

The Execution Outcomes of Inadequate Confronting Education on the Education Enthusiasm of High School Students

“…In addition, all students are ordered to bring hand sanitizer, bring personal equipment such as learning tools, worship tools, and other tools so that they don't need to borrow from other students, take health checks such as measuring body temperature before going to class and wash hands with soap before entering class. The importance of implementing health protocols in Inadequate Confronting Education has also been explained in previous research which also added that physical activity carried out by students is extremely principal to disburse awareness to first at some stage in the pandemic (Hasson et al, 2022;Hu et al, 2021;Sanni et al, 2021). The government is very important in determining these rules to pay attention to the health of students during the Covid-19 pandemic, so even though Confronting learning is applied in a limited way, good health must be applied.…”