Health Assessment

This study provides a description of the oral, visual and auditory health of the year nine and ten students at Linwood College in February 2006. The data collected for this study are part of an overall assessment of the health of Linwood College students. The Linwood College assessment and this study, aim to inform health and education policy makers about the possible extent of health impediments to learning that exists in high school students. The assessment also aims to provide support for the introduction of comprehensive health assessments and interventions at the primary school level. The results, particularly in the area of visual health suggest that early assessment and the provision of appropriate health interventions would go some way toward overcoming barriers to students engaging in education. These interventions if undertaken at primary or even pre-school level, would be more valuable long term for each individual student and society as a whole than assessments and interventions undertaken later in a students life.

The Wayne Francis Charitable Trust and the Canterbury Community Trust have provided the funds for both the research and the initial health interventions.

All year nine and ten students of Linwood College, approximately 450 students, were offered the chance to have their ears, eyes, throat and teeth assessed with treatment options given where necessary.

Each student was given a standard dental examination by qualified dentists including oral cancer screening, mouth mirror exploration, periodontal probe examination and radiographs. They also had their mouth examined, their ears examined and hearing tested, and their eyes and vision tested by a Registered Nurse.

Dental problems were either treated by the examining dentist or referred to the students own dentist.

The Registered Nurses referred the students to their general practitioner and/or an optometrist and/or the Christchurch Hospital audiologist to enable more comprehensive assessments within designated clinical settings where the appropriate expertise and equipment is held.

The dental examinations established that 32.2% of female students and 37.9% of males required minor work and 9.1% of the students required urgent dental work. Most of the students 64.2% did not need any dental work.

Forty nine students or 11.2% were referred to the audiologist. Only 18 of the 49 students or 36.7% referred to the audiologist attended and one student required further treatment.

Following the mouth examinations three students were given referrals to their general practitioners.

One hundred and seventy eight or 40.5% of the students assessed were given referrals to an optometrist. The results to date found that of the 111 students that attended the optometrist's appointment 29 students needed no treatment, 53 students needed glasses, 8 students were given eye drops, mainly artificial tears, 7 students were given eye exercises and one student needed his glasses updated.

Up to October 2006, 59% of students who attended the optometrist needed glasses. Only point one eight percent of students who attended the audiology follow up needed further intervention and 35.8% of dental referrals required treatment. This is a significant number of young people whose health could be compromising their ability to engage in education especially as this reflects only 62.4% of students referred to the optometrist and 36.7% of students referred to the audiologist.

This study recommends that:

• All children have regular health assessments and that the results of the assessments and treatments provided are entered into a national data base that tracks and monitors each child and their records of health assessments and treatments offered and taken up. This would allow each child to be followed up and ensure that treatment regimes were maintained.
• To enable the setting up of a national data base there needs to be a comprehensive investigation into New Zealand wide innovations that address the issues of health related barriers to education.
• There is funding provided for a comprehensive investigation into New Zealand wide innovations that address the issues of health related barriers to education.
• The results of a comprehensive investigation would provide the impetus for Government Ministries, local bodies, and district health boards to collaborate in the development of a health assessment policy and national data base.
• The research found that a number of students needed eye exercises to enable them to see properly and discussion with the optometrist suggested that most students would benefit from regular exercise of all the muscles of their eyes. Therefore it is recommended that attention be given to the development of a series of posters and pamphlets marketing the series of eye exercises prescribed to many of the students at Linwood College. It may be helpful if an eye exercise campaign was developed and promoted nationally in tandem with the healthy exercise campaign already underway.
• The authors also recommend that the results of this research are disseminated to those who participated in the research as students, parents and staff of Linwood College.

The implications for education and health policy makers of the data obtained in this study are that the results reflect a national concern with the education, health, well being and long term opportunities for young people in New Zealand. This project is one of a number of projects set up to address this concern. It is essential that attention be paid to these results as all children and young people need to be in the best possible health to avail themselves of the opportunities and overcome the challenges presented to them now and in the future.