Examining the appropriateness and reliability of the strategy of the Kenyan Comprehensive School Health Program.

ABSTRACT

The Kenyan government established the Kenyan Comprehensive School Health Program (KCSHP) on the basis of Kenyan National School Health Policy. A KCSHP pilot project was carried out in eight primary schools in Mbita Sub-County of Homa Bay County in the Nyanza Region from 2012 to 2017. This pilot project provided health facilities and support for evaluation with a school health checklist, and organized teacher training on health education, a child health club, and school-based health check-ups. The present study aimed to examine the appropriateness and reliability of the strategy of the second KCSHP pilot project in Kenya. We analyzed data from self-administered questionnaires targeted at pupils in seventh-grade in the eight primary schools. The questionnaire consisted of questions on health-related knowledge, attitudes and practices, self-evaluated physical and mental health status, self-awareness of health control, subjective happiness, recognition on the importance of learning about health in school, absenteeism, and sense of school belongingness. The project contributed to improving health-related knowledge, attitudes and practices, self-evaluated health status, sense of school belongingness, recognition on the importance of learning about health in school, self-awareness of health control, and absenteeism. On the contrary, subjective happiness did not improve significantly.