The act of a child going to school or college to study is no less than an adult going to a workplace to do a job (work). The child is engaged in the act of ‘occupation of studying’ now for an ‘occupation for wages’ in future.

Children going to school or college to study can be considered to be engaged in a unique occupation as their workplace (school/college) is not bound by any legal healthcare requirements, as of now.

Also, it is no secret that a child spends about 6 hours in school/college and hence can have a major effect on their health – both mental and physical.

That is why risks peculiar to children going to school/college should be assessed and attempts made to mitigate them to prevent illnesses.

The risks involved in the act of going to school/college expands the scope for an Occupational Health (OH) physician, as they are equipped with the knowledge and skillset to make school colleges safe from health point of view.

School/college must also teach children about health and promote healthy behaviors.

Risks peculiar to children going to school/college should be assessed and attempts made to mitigate them to prevent illnesses.

With that premise, enumerated below are the risks to health in school/college children as well as methods to mitigate it.

  • School bags: Heavy school bags loaded with books and food. Taking necessary books for the day will reduce the weight. The schools must also encourage to carry light bags. A heavy school bag ends up in neck and shoulder pain and other fatigue issues resulting in exhaustion by the time the child reaches home.
  • Excessive sitting: Schools especially have classes, one after the other for about 2.5 hours until recess-time results in children almost continuously sitting. Add to this the benches and tables are not ergonomically designed. Excessive sitting leads to problems ranging from fatigue to obesity to musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Chalk dust: In most schools, a chalk stick is used to write on the blackboard and a duster used to wipe. As a result, lot of dust is created that circulates in the air that can cause allergies in students and teachers. It can also cause or trigger a preexisting asthma. Changing to whiteboard or an electronic board will get rid of the dust and create a safe place for education.
  • Use of computers: Few schools who use computers as a medium of education do ergonomic assessment as a result it begins to affect health by causing eyestrain and musculoskeletal disorders. Taking frequent breaks helps until a ergonomic assessment is undertaken. What is true for an office-goer working with computers is true for student.
  • Food and water safety: Schools/colleges have canteens/cafeteria where food is served. The authorities should ensure that the food sold in their premises is as per FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Association of India) standards. Food sold in canteen must be healthy too. Drinking water should be made available. This will prevent food poisoning from happening in children.
  • Ventilation: Classrooms can be stuffy and ill-ventilated. The risk increases during covid pandemic, but even otherwise ill-ventilated classrooms cause fatigue, headache, sweating, dizziness, irritation, bad temper, mental unrest, behavioral personality disorder. It can also lead to education deprivation.
  • Stress – The senior student bully the younger ones, and cyberbullying via social media is on the rise. Both cause immense anguish and stress in students. Also, there is pressure of study and even worse is the peer pressure. Bullying and cyberbullying are offences punishable by law. If pressure of study and peer pressure is causing continuous stress performance issues, it is best that the student should seek counselling advice by a psychologist.
  • Spread of infection: Unwell students can spread a host of diseases – common cold, seasonal influenza, covid, tuberculosis, diarrheas, worm infection (especially thread worms), hepatitis A, scabies, impetigo (a bacterial skin infection), ringworm, mumps, measles, whooping cough (pertussis), conjunctivitis etc. Students experiencing sickness should not come to the school and instead visit a doctor.
  • School building – Labs, library, common room, classroom, washroom should be clean, hygienic and ventilated, else can cause a situation like Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). The children may exhibit throat irritation, breathing difficulties, tightness in the chest, runny nose allergy-like symptoms, such as sneezing, headaches and dizziness, nausea, aches and pains, tiredness, poor concentration, shortness of breath or chest tightness, eye and throat irritation, blocked or runny nose, skin rashes, dry itchy skin. Mitigation is by taking regular breaks outside the classroom, opening windows to get fresh air, standing at your desk, discourage storing of chemicals in or around classroom etc. Chemistry lab where lots of chemicals are in use and creates fumes should be well ventilated. 
  • Medical emergencies – Choking, chemistry lab-related health issues and serious sports injuries are some of the medical emergencies that can happen, and school must have provisions to resuscitate and mark an ambulance service and a nearby hospital for quick response.

All schools, however, modern, and expensive will have deficiencies that need to be assessed and mitigated. There could be more risks to health depending on the school/college and hence each one has to be assessed on its own.

Colleges in the US have Occupational Health departments. The day is not far when school/colleges in developing countries including India will have similar departments, or will approach OH physicians for support to improve conditions in school/college.

A garden in a school will add to its ambience and reputation and will also bring about intangible effect on a child’s mindset enabling him/er to greater heights in academic excellence. Having a garden or a playground promotes mental and physical health.

School authorities should consider seeking OH opinion proactively to promote student health and prevent illnesses due to abovementioned factors. However, if they see increase in various types of illnesses in students, they must seek OH opinion reactively.

As a parent, preserving your child’s health should be a priority.

For more info, a talk or support; parents or schools may contact

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Dr Ajay Sati is an Occupational Health physician who prefers to describe himself as an Occupationist, to denote, ‘an expert in diseases and other concerns of occupations’. Dr Sati has managed  health and wellness programs in industries he worked, like the atomic energy, and energy (oil & gas) in India and overseas. He was involved in many greenfield and brownfield projects providing inputs from health point of view. Known for SOPs and protocols, he is currently involved with an energy MNC in designing protocols to support employees during the covid pandemic, and protocols to safely reopen offices and plants.