A Study on the Performance Level, the Awareness of the Importance, and Improvement of School Health Promotion Programs

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to suggest methods for improving school health promotion programs by investigating the daily activities and the performance level of environment management, the awareness of importance, and opinions on the revision of and knowledge about laws and regulations related to school health promotion programs. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 289 school nurses in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The survey used a questionnaire containing 90 questions developed by the present researcher. Data were collected from July 5 to July 21, 2006 and analyzed using SPSS 12.0 for Windows. RESULT: 1. Regular check-up and drinking water management got the highest score in performance level. Sexual health and drinking water management got the highest score in the awareness of importance. 2. School nurses were aware of laws and regulations related to their clients (0.93), and the revision opinion was high on the whole (3.58). 3. According to general characteristics, the more educated school nurse were (F=6.80, p=.001) and the fewer students their school had (F=4.66, p=.010), the higher their performance level in daily activities was. The shorter their career in their work was (F=4.86, p=.008), the fewer classes their school had (F=5.04, p=.007) and the fewer students their school had (F=3.83, p=.023), the higher their awareness of importance was. 4. There was not any difference in the performance level of environment management according to general characteristics. The awareness of importance was highest in school nurses with experience less then ten years (F=3.66, p=.027). 5. There was not any difference in knowledge about laws and regulations according to general characteristics. The revision opinion was high in school nurses at schools with less than 18 classrooms (F=6.04, p=.003) and less than 500 students (F=4.24, p=.015). CONCLUSION: When school nurses perform school health promotion programs actively and vigorously, the students can be healthy and national health promotion can be actualized fundamentally.