The Necessity of School Health in the Elementary Schools of China : A Comparison between Japan and China

The purpose of this study is to clarify the necessity of the school health care of elementary schools in China in order to improve children health. To accomplish these aims, this study explains the necessity from the physical development of Chinese teenagers about height, weight, the age of the first menstruation and the first spermatorrhea, vision, sexual harassment, and AIDS infected people. The study relied on 116 Chinese students from A University in Japan to fill out an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. The survey asked about whether there was a “hygiene room” in the respondents’ elementary school, the idea of establishing hygiene rooms in Chinese elementary schools, and the implementation of sex education in China. The study concludes that, compared to China, Japan has adequate law and regulations regarding health centers at elementary schools and a high rate of sex education. Chinese young people want to promote the school health care in elementary schools. China needs to establish more concrete laws and regulations concerning hygiene rooms, health centers, school doctors, and health teachers in elementary schools. China should promote the establishment of hygiene rooms (health centers) in elementary schools and reduce differences in the installation rate between countryside, suburbs and city. China must implement sex education in elementary schools with content suitable to children’s developmental stage