CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
The Kwara central zone is made up of Ilorin west, Ilorin east, Ilorin South, Asa and Mooro local government area and the primary ethnic groups of Kwara state are Yoruba with significant Nupe, Baruba and Fulani.
Ilorin West Local Government area of Kwara State is in the transitional zone between Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria. The Local Government was created from defunct Ilorin Local Government area in October, and is regarded today as the premier local council in the state not only because of its historical antecedent but because of the fact that it hosts the headquarters of the emirate councils. Ilorin West Local Government plays a dual role of the host of the state capital and the headquarters of the Local Government area making it the only metropolitan council. According to the 2006 population figure, the Local Government has about 364, 666 people thereby putting it at the most densely populated Local Government Area in the State.
According to the Trinity Care Foundation 2015, the School Health Program is defined as “the school procedures that contribute to the maintenance, promotion, enhancement, restoration and improvement of the health of pupils and school personnel including health services healthful living and health education”.
Childhood is the age of learning and it is the time when a child start developing practices and attitude towards health. It is very important to target the children for health awareness and demonstration of correct methods for personal hygiene.
School is considered as place for learning where children learn not only subjective knowledge but also life style practices and health seeking behaviors. It has been proven that schools can provide an ideal platform for the promotion of health. The school as an institution for learning seeks to explore diverse behaviors from the students among which optimum well-being of the students cannot be overemphasized. Studies by Idehen (2004) revealed that in many parts of Nigeria, health instruction in secondary schools was poorly carried out. It is significant to mention that in whatever function one finds oneself, the most important factor is good health. If health is lacking, productivity will be seriously undermined. Thus every health education teacher in Nigeria has the potential for positively affecting the health status of students. Furthermore, many students contend with health problems that influence their ability to learn. For instance, some students are not adequately fed; others lack relevant vaccination and are vulnerable to various infections and diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, meningitis, malaria and infective hepatitis. Similarly, a well-planned health appraisal service is also needed in these schools.
The committee on National Academy of Sciences (2016) defined a comprehensive school health program is an integrated set of planned, sequential, school-affiliated strategies, activities and services designed to promote the optimal physical, emotional, social, and educational development of students. The program involves and is supportive of families and determined by the local community, based on community needs, resources, standards and requirements. It is coordinated by multidisciplinary team and is accountable to the community for program quality and effectiveness.
The World Education Forum in April 2000 in Dakar, Senegal (jointly initiated by UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, World Bank, Educational International, Education Development Centre and Partnership for Child Development), launched the Focusing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH) as a strategy for achieving education for all (EFA). Four main components of FRESH were identified to include school health policies; water, sanitation and the environment; skill-based health education; and school-based nutrition and health services.
According to the WHO, a health promoting school is “one that is constantly strengthening its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working”. The main goal of the SHP is to improve the health of learners and staff as responsible and productive citizens.
According to Allensworth et.al (1997), while there is no one universally accepted definition and model of a school health program, the following essential elements should be considered in designing a school health program.