Enhancing School Health Services: The Importance of Health Appraisal for Secondary School Students in Warri Metropolis

Promoting healthful living and health appraisal of students and staff in schools is one of the duties of the school health services. This study was designed to find out the socio-economic indices of healthful living of school health appraisal on the health status of students in some selected schools in Warri Metropolis. The survey research design method was adopted and delimited to public secondary school students in Warri Metropolis. 150 respondents were randomly selected from fifteen (15) schools for the study. A Questionnaire of 19 items statement whose reliability was 0.74, was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using percentage and chi-square test at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study revealed that there are significant socio-economic indices of school health appraisal on the health status of students. It was revealed that identification of common health problems and students maximally being involved in the school health programme were found as socio-economic indices are significant on students’ health status. The study recommended that school management, in collaboration with PTA and government, should endeavour to sustain and promote the school health service unit with the necessary equipment and funds available for efficient health appraisal services in schools