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A Study of Morning Health Checks in Japanese Schools - Assessing the Benefits
and Burdens for Students

Y. Ishii, K. Okuda, M. Fujikawa, and K. Tanimoto 1
1
2
2
Faculty of Medicine, School of Nursing, Kagawa University, Japan, and Institute of Biomedical
1 2
Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Japan

Background: Japanese schools conduct health checks for children before the day’s classes begin.
While teachers’ perspectives on health checks have been surveyed, there remains a lack of studies
examining the experiences of the children themselves. Clarification of the actual status of health
checks among children will contribute to more effective health checks and improvement of
self-management skills regarding their own health.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the actual situation of morning health checks for
students and to explore more effective methods of health checks.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered in December 2020 with 1,129 elementary and junior high
school students participating. Survey items encompassed health check methods, reported health status,
and both the benefits and burdens of health checks in daily life. Data were statistically analyzed. Ethical
approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Review Committee of the University of Tokushima.

Results: The valid response rate was 68.9%. Health check methods varied between elementary and junior
high schools. 68.4% of students reported having good health in the previous month. Elementary school
students derived significantly greater benefit from health checks compared to junior high students
(p<0.001). No significant differences by gender were found. Although junior high school students perceived
health checks as more burden some than elementary school students, it did not reach statistical
significance (p=0.222). Significant gender-based differences were found with girls expressing a greater
burden than boys (p<0.001).

Conclusion: It is necessary to revise the method of health checks according to developmental stages as
well as give consideration to individual responses after the health checks, in order to lighten the perceived
burden as much as possible. This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP20H00785.

Keywords: benefit, burden, children, health check

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Correspondence: Yumiko Ishii, Faculty of Medicine, School of Nursing, Kagawa University, Japan
E-mail: ishii.yumiko@kagawa-u.ac.jp
Poster Presentation Abstracts

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