PERCEPTION OF SELF HEALTH AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF HEALTH MATTERS

Objective: It is accepted that the perception of self health of adolescent is associated with the common health matters they face, their immunization status, searching for disease risks and security applications. The aim of this study is to obtain the level of perception of self health of primary school students and to investigate the association between their health perception, and their knowledge in health matters and the accidents they had. Material and Method: Consultation forms that interrogating health matters were applied to a private and public school students in Istanbul on March-May 2006 with answering done under observation method. Also second type of forms that interrogating health set-vices at school were applied to the administrators by the method of face to face interviews. Results: Fifty point eight percent (n:125) of the students were female and 49.2% (n:121) were male and the total number of 246 students admitted this study. The mean age was 12.7 +/- 1.6 years. The number of students who perceive their health as "excellent" were 31.3% (n:77), "well" were 47.2% (n:116), "moderate" were 17.5% (n:43), "worse" were 2.8% (n:7) and "the worst" were 1.2% (n:3). Mean of the health matters they had known were 1.5 +/- 1.4. Mostly informed health matters were respectively: accidents, acute tonsillitis, sinusitis, mouth and dental matters, myopia, otitis media, dermatological disorders, bronchitis, urinary infections and asthma. It was obtained that the students informed to have more health matters, felt themselves much worse (x(2) :8.6, p:0.04). Significant differences were not found in perception of health for the students being in a private or a state school (x(2): 0.2, d.f:2, p: 0.9). Conclusion: There was at least one acute or chronic health matter for 1916 and 40016 of the primary school students. Approximately one - fourth of the students perceived their health moderate or much worse. Therefore it is important to improve, protect and view the health so it is necessary to give more attention for the school health services. Perceived self health of students must take into consideration during to determine their health matters.