Analysis of Morbidity at a Selected Elementary School of Mainstream Education
Analysis of Morbidity at a Selected Elementary School of Mainstream Education

Author(s): Petr Kachlík, Irena Lebedová
Subject(s): Education, School education, Health and medicine and law
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: documentation; reason; illness; sickness; sick note; research; primary school; elementary school; absent lessons; health; student;
Summary/Abstract: The number of hours missed due to illness was selected as the indicator of morbidity. The paper presents the results of the research carried out at a mainstream elementary school. The main objective of the quantitative research was to monitor the morbidity of primary school students and to compare the sickness of selected groups of students during the first semester of the 2017/2018 school year. Data for the monitored period were gathered from the school’s electronic database, the student’ file catalogue sheets, students’ notebooks and interviews with class teachers. Categorisation of the sample (569 persons) was done by gender, grade, results, specific educational needs, commuting, physical activity, and obesity. Data were processed anonymously, statistically analyzed in program EpiInfo. The significance of the differences between the groups was verified using selected ANOVA and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. The transition from junior to senior elementary school, the level of the students’ results and whether specific educational needs exist or not are all factors that have a significant impact on student morbidity. Obese students were absent an average of 15.4 days, which is double the overall school average (6.8 days). It was observed that obesity and complications associated with it have a negative impact on student health and morbidity. The exercise and sports activities have a positive impact on health, since those students who were actively participating in sports were absent an average of only 2.5 days. The research has confirmed that physical activities have a positive impact on health, obesity and its complication negative. It is obvious that the higher morbidity is one of the factors that negatively affects academic performance and marks.

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