Health Screening Among Riyadh International Turkish School Students: Most Prominent Problems are Dental Caries and Irregular Sleep

作者：Akturk Zekeriya^*; Donmez Hilmi; Guclu Metin; Koru Canan

来源：Turkiye Klinikleri Tip Bilimleri Dergisi, 2010, 30(3): 940-946.

DOI：10.5336/medsci.2008-9568

• Student health services
• tooth diseases
• sleep disorders
• myopia
• Turkey
• Saudi Arabia

Objective: Health professionals including organizations such as the World Health Organization give much emphasis to screening programs in schools. A health screening program was planned for pupils in the classes of KG to grade five in the Riyadh International Turkish School (RUTO). Material and Methods: In December 2007, all of 958 students of RUTO were invited for the screening using a written informed consent from parents. Screened problems consisted of obesity, short stature, strabismus, myopia, anemia, sleep disorders, nutrition, heart murmurs, and tooth decay. Additionally, a questionnaire was applied about demographic characteristics such as social security, number of family members, and fathers occupation. Results were analyzed on computer. Results: Nine hundred ten students (95%) participated in the study (443 females and 467 males). Most frequent occupations of fathers were cook (17.7%; n= 145), car mechanic (16.3%; n= 133), barber (7.5%; n= 61), and welder (6.9%; n= 56). Eighty percent of the families (n= 619) did not have a health insurance. Participants were living in houses with 1.6 +/- 0.5 persons per room. More than 90% of the students (n= 731) were going to sleep after 10 pm. Mean sleep time was calculated as 10.49 +/- 0.58 hours. As the age of students increased, the total sleep duration decreased (p< 0.001). Forty four point seven percent (n= 371) of the students did not brush their teeth in the morning, and 80% (n= 675) had dental caries. Girls had a better oral health than boys (p< 0.001). While 108 students (13.1%) had myopia, only 32 (4.0%) of them were using eye glasses. Conclusion: Most parents of the RUTO students are expatriate workers without any health insurance. Most important health problems encountered are tooth decay, inappropriate sleep, and myopia. Health education programs should be started for students involving the families. Establishing a health cabin, employing a health care professional, and taking initiatives to provide health care for the families will be useful.

• 出版日期2010-6