[Effect of chronic nasopharyngeal diseases among 14-year-old students and extra-curricular factors on school performance]

Zakładu Wychowania Zdrowotnego i Higieny Szkolnej Państwowego, Zakładu Higieny w Warszawie.

On the basis of extended health balances of 3482 14-year old school children, the association between the incidence of chronic diseases of the nasopharynx and some circumstances of their living conditions was evaluated. Nasopharyngeal diseases were identified in 2.3% of children. Their incidence was unrelated to sex; it was similar in urban and rural environments. Some circumstances creating inferior living conditions were associated with higher incidence of these diseases; they included living in poverty, lack of central heating and covering by foot a large distance from home to school. Other circumstances, e.g. numerous family, crowding of the apartment, un-sanitary sleeping conditions, contrary to expectation failed to display such associations. Likewise, health-promoting behaviours (e.g. habit of teeth cleaning, practising sports) did not lead to lower incidence of these diseases. Consideration of the problem from standpoint of physical development showed that the proceeding of the maturation process failed to be paralleled by lower incidence of nasopharyngeal diseases. This incidence amounted in pupils with overweight to 4.1% of cases, and in the remaining ones to 2.0-2.3%. Nasopharyngeal diseases were recorded in 5.4-5.5% of pupils complaining of poor general feeling (headache, sleep disturbances), and in as many as 7.0% of those experiencing difficulties in falling asleep. As concerns the progress in learning, the difficulties between better and worse pupils in the incidence of nasopharyngeal diseases were insignificant. These diseases occurred somewhat more frequently in pupils with up to 14 days of justified non-attendance per semester, as compared with those without any non-attendance or with non-attendance lasting more than 14 days.

PMID: 1788518 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]