EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH PROGRAMS: ADDRESSING SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES IN PEDIATRIC DENTAL HEALTH, MALNUTRITION, AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN PAKISTAN
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Keywords
School health program, pediatric epidemiology, malnutrition, dental caries, communicable diseases
Abstract
This study evaluated the epidemiological impact of school-based health intervention programs on pediatric dental health, nutritional status, and communicable disease prevalence among school-aged children in Pakistan. Background: Low socioeconomic status in developing regions contributes significantly to poor oral hygiene, malnutrition, and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases in children. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of structured school-based health programs in reducing disease burden and health disparities. Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 1,200 children aged 6–12 years across urban and rural schools in Punjab, Pakistan. Participants were divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention included biannual dental check-ups, nutritional supplementation, and vaccination awareness campaigns over 12 months. Results: The intervention group showed a significant reduction in dental caries prevalence (42.6% vs 68.3%, p<0.001), malnutrition rates (BMI improvement from 15.8±2.1 to 18.4±2.3, p<0.01), and communicable disease incidence (23.5% vs 41.7%, RR=0.56). School attendance improved by 14.2%. Statistical analysis confirmed strong significance across all parameters (CI 95%). Conclusion: School-based health programs significantly improve pediatric health outcomes and reduce socioeconomic disparities in Pakistan, demonstrating high epidemiological effectiveness and scalability in resource-limited settings.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Somia Qayyum
General Dentist / Endodontist; MPhil Student of Public Health, University of Lahore, Pakistan.
Shamima Abdullah
Associate Professor, Bakhtawer Amin Medical and Dental College, Multan, Pakistan.
Naila Afzal
Associate Professor, Community Medicine Department, Bolan Medical College, Pakistan.
Saba Parveen Soomro
Lecturer, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.
Saadia Nazir
Assistant Professor Orthodontics, Shahida Islam Dental College, Lodhran, Pakistan.
Rabia Mushtaq Chaudhry
PhD Scholar, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Farah Naz Tahir
Associate Professor, M. Islam Medical and Dental College, Gujranwala, Pakistan.
