Evaluating child-friendly school initiatives in Delta State, Nigeria: Emotional health, community cohesion, and health literacy

This study investigated the impact of the Child-Friendly School Initiative (CFSI) on health literacy, emotional wellbeing, and community cohesion in Nigerian primary schools, focusing on a comparative analysis of Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) and non-CFS in Delta State.Employing a descriptive survey design, data were gathered from 1,229 respondents, including community leaders, teachers and pupils through questionnaires, focus group discussions, and observations.The findings revealed that CFS demonstrated substantially better outcomes than non-CFS in promoting health and hygiene.Specifically, 59.1% of respondents from CFS reported improved physical and mental health, compared to 20% in non-CFS schools.Additionally, 70.5% of CFS participants noted that their schools actively encouraged healthy behaviors, whereas none of the respondents from non-CFS schools (0%) reported such support.In terms of community cohesion, 75% of participants from CFS observed positive school community engagement, compared to only 10% in non-CFS settings.These outcome differences indicated a statistically meaningful advantage in favor of CFS and suggested that scaling up the CFSI across Nigeria could significantly advance progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, education, and sanitation.