Prevalence Rates in Schoolchildren According to the Results of Comprehensive Medical Examinations

Abstract

Introduction: The educational process is one of the leading factors determining health of schoolchildren. Identification of pathologic afflictions among students can contribute to targeted development of health promotion activities and significantly reduce risks of diseases related to learning. Objective: To compare prevalence rates in elementary, secondary and high school students. Materials and methods: In January 2021 to October 2022, 498 schoolchildren passed comprehensive medical examinations. They were subdivided into three cohorts: cohort 1 consisted of 132 elementary school students (median age = 8 (7; 9) years), cohort 2 included 257 secondary school students (13 (11; 14) years), and cohort 3 comprised 109 high school students aged 16 (16; 17) years. The prevalence was assessed based on doctors’ statements; the data and statistics were analyzed using Jamovi. Results: Diseases of the musculoskeletal and digestive systems and endocrine disorders were found to be the most prevalent among the students (68.9–87.5 per 100 examined). The highest fold difference was established between high and elementary school students for the prevalence rates of tension-type headache (32.1), chronic gastritis and duodenitis (22.9), myopia (5.1), and scoliosis (2.9). We observed a direct relationship between educational stages and the development of those diseases. Conclusions: Our findings indicate the need of including additional examinations by neurologists and otolaryngologists at different ages in the procedure for conducting health checkups of minors. The focus, content and scope of health promotion, disease prevention, and outreach activities of pediatricians and preventive medicine physicians should be determined taking into account age-specific prevalence rates and the established association between stages of school education and certain health disorders.