Universal health coverage for students as the fundamental task of school health / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Abstract@#Children and adolescents undergo striking physical, intellectual, and emotional growth while receiving collective education. It’s a developmental period highly influenced by the unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles, and characterized with multiple newly emerging health issues, including lower mortality declines in adolescents compared with children under five, higher prevalence of myopia and obesity at younger ages, improved but still declining physical fitness, as well as vulnerability to a range of mental health conditions. School health is an indispensable component of public health in China, with an ultimate goal of maintaining and promoting good health for children and adolescents. School health in the new era should echo the action of Healthy China initiative, fulfilling government functions fully and correctly, and achieving universal health coverage for students, which is broadly guaranteed by the implementation of Healthy China strategy at present. Collective action for myopia prevention and control presents as the forerunner of universal health care for students across China.