Health care and nutrition of children in primary and secondary schools in Lithuania

Object of the work. To evaluate opportunities of public health specialists in educational institutions to maintain medical care and nutrition inspection all around in Lithuania. Main tasks of the work. Overview social characteristics of public health specialists and to evaluate possibility of public health specialist to provide health care in educational institutions; make a research of public health specialist attitude to nutrition of pupil in educational institutions; overview problems of public health specialists in this field. Actuality of the theme. Our health is the most valuable gift for us, so everybody wants to know the way of saving it. The main task of public health care at school is to protect and reinforce health of pupil as well as illness and trauma prevention. It is provided by public health specialists in schools. There are many functions meant in public heath specialist’s official regulations. But they are bounded to do one or the other action in reality because of shortage of medical equipment and medications. Nutrition in educational institutions is not suitable for children with chronic illnesses. The quality of meals is the point to discuss. Methods of research: Questioning of public health specialists in Lithuanian educational institutions in 2007-2008. There were questioned 456 specialists out of 569 in 2008. Response rate – 85,5 percent. Tool of research was questionnaire. Data was processed with statistic analysis using SPSS ver.12.0. Results. 85,9 percent of respondents had showed higher education and age above 35 year. 68 % of respondents think that heads of schools are interested in their job, but 27.7 % deny it. 80.9 percent of specialists mentioned lack of equipment and medications to provide emergency help while 91 % gave sufficient habits to provide this help. 66.8 % of public health specialists doubt about possibility to provide full emergency help in case of injury at school and feel stress about this. 90.8 % of participants indicate presence of road safety lessons. But because of the traumas several times a month there is called emergency (15 %). The most unsafe lessons for pupil are these: physical culture, technology; chemistry and physics. 47 % of respondents think that pupil feel unsafe during this lessons. Even 71 % show about unsafeness of surrounding territory of school because of intruders. 54.5 percent think that school nutrition is not suitable for pupil with chronic diseases. One fourth of respondents are not satisfied with school canteen meal quality and variety. Is not clear point about amount of vegetables in food between public health specialists – 50/50 think about sufficient amount of vegetables in pupil’s food. It is clear that pupils are tending to slake their thirst with stewed fruit, tea and cocoa instead of water or mineral water. List of potentially dangerous food consists of hot sandwiches, pizza, French fries, potato chips, but the most popular are potato chips and pizza. 64 %of respondents are showing high level of consumption of these products between pupils. 88,5 % affirm absence of nutrition specialist at school and pupils do not have any piece of advice while buying more healthier and good taste products despite all teaching about nutrition and healthy food. Unbelievable – even 76,6 % of respondents indicated manual dish washing. Conclusions. The results of research has showed that majority of public health specialists at educational institutions are women with higher education, 77 percent of them are practicing in health care. One fourth of respondents think their work place does not interest heads of the institution. Even 81 percent are unsatisfied with medical help equipment and medications at workplace. 67 percent doubt about possibility to provide full medical help and feel stressed about that. There named four most potentially dangerous lessons (physical culture, technology; chemistry and physics). 47 percent think pupils feel unsafe during these lessons. One half of respondents (54 percent) indicated unsuitable food for pupils with chronic diseases. One fourth showed unsatisfactory variety and quality of food. 64 percent specialists noticed unhealthy food is bought by pupils very often and 21 percent – from time to time. Public health specialists indicate many problems related to direct their work are these: appropriate organization of nutrition, prevention of bad habits, possibilities to provide medical help, lack of medications and team work absence