Govt survey shows 15K Delhi school students at health risk

The scheme was implemented by the department of health and family welfare and the department of education in January 202

A two-year health scheme implemented by the Delhi government in 20 state-run schools as pilot project has revealed that a staggering 69% of the 22,000 students screened in these institutions were in the “red zone” of the Body Mass Index (BMI) — highlighting potential risks pertaining to health and nutrition — officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

Under the School Health Clinic scheme, a clinic was set up in 20 schools. (Raj K Raj/ HT Archive)

The scheme, called School Health Clinic (SHC), was implemented by the department of health and family welfare and the department of education in January 2022. As part of the pilot project, each of these schools had a nurse and a psychologist, and clinics were set up in porta cabins. In addition, officials said, a trained doctor was assigned to clusters of five schools.

The government now plans to expand the scheme, called School Health Clinic (SHC), to 50 state-run schools across the city in the coming months, with an eye to gradually expand it to cover all Delhi government schools, the officials said.

A health department official said, “After running the pilot project successfully for close to two years, we will be expanding to other schools as well. We aim to cover 50 schools under the project in the coming months and gradually expand to cover all Delhi government schools in the project.”

A perusal of the data released as part of the pilot project on December 7 has revealed that 69% of the students were in the red zone of BMI. This, officials and experts said, was because of an increase in junk food intake and lack of physical activity.

“This means that students rely heavily on cheaper fast-food options with unsaturated fats and less nutritional value. The height and overall growth are impacted. Parents of the students were informed and counselled to make dietary changes, such as adding more protein and iron to their diets. In some extreme cases, children were referred for further treatment,” a health department official said.

Dr Arun Gupta, senior paediatrician at Fortis hospital and president of the Delhi Medical Council said, “In the past two decades, we have seen an increase in obesity. Some of the reasons for this are decreased physical activity, more outside food, and easy availability of junk food through online apps. We are seeing children with respiratory issues, joint problems, and psychological issues due to body shaming.”

He added that awareness, and increased physical activity or play time, are key to solving this issue.

The data also reveals that 15% of the students had decreased vision, which officials attributed to increased screen time.. Subsequently, 3,674 students were screened again, and 1,274 were diagnosed and provided with spectacles with the help of a non-profit organisation, officials said.

The health department official said, “Another crucial aspect of the addressed by the SHC project was vision health. The screening process identified that 15 percent of students had decreased vision.”

In addition, the project involved 20,562 students in group mental health sessions. These sessions showed that many students suffered from post-pandemic stress, bullying, low self-esteem, hormonal changes, and identity issues, said officials.

A mental health initiative, integrated with SHC, included circle time with children, teacher sensitisation, and individual sessions, aiming at early intervention and mental health awareness. Students with severe issues received intervention and their parents were counselled and advised on the next steps such as therapeutic intervention and dietary changes, officials said.

Ashita Sharma, the psychologist in Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Moti Bagh, said that the issues identified included anxiety, family conflict, and academic issues among others. She said, “Many of the student’s parents are daily wage workers and they had to migrate back to their hometowns during the pandemic. During those years, they faced financial stress, and lost family members too so this impacted them mentally.”

She added that students, particularly those in classes 5, 6, and 7, faced academic issues and struggled to cope when classes began.

The group session aimed to help students cope with their daily struggles and identify students who are facing more severe mental health issues. 200 students were further referred to mobile mental health units (MMHU) operated by the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IBHAS).

Sharma said, “After some time, we noticed that the impacts were multi-fold... Students interacted with each other with more sensitivity, and bullying was reduced to some extent. The teachers, too, made efforts to understand the mental health issues being faced by students.”

Arshi Alam, a psychologist who works with a private school as a counsellor, said that adolescents face a number of challenges ranging from body image issues to anxiety. She added that besides having school counsellors, teacher sensitisation is paramount. “As mental health professionals, we spend a limited time with the children. It is the teachers who help them navigate through their day-to-day struggles. It is very important for teachers to be sensitised to these issues as they are the first responders. It has been proven that a healthy teacher-student relationship leads to better academics, as well as better overall growth among students.”