Good health not only plays a crucial role in the life of a grown-up professional or adult, in general,

but it’s highly significant in the lives of students as well. It’s even the students who need good
health the most as their whole academic life and future depend upon their health.

"is the child in Good Health?"

Signs of Good Health in Students That Perform Better in School

Increased Attendance- Healthy students miss fewer school days. According to a report by the CDC,
students with poor health have a 1.5 times higher absenteeism rate than healthier students.

Improved Concentration- Children with balanced diets have better concentration and cognitive
function. The Journal of School Health reports that students who consume fruits, vegetables, and
proteins demonstrate improved academic performance

Enhanced Class Participation- Regular physical activity promotes cognitive ability and behavior,
leading to increased participation and better behavior in class.

Reduced Stress- Regular exercise and a balanced diet help manage stress levels, leading to improved
mental health.

Better Sleep- Adequate sleep is crucial for cognitive functioning. The National Sleep Foundation
reveals that children who get the recommended amount of sleep show improved learning,
attention, and creativity.

More Focus and Improved Learning- One can’t focus on anything if one’s having any pain in one’s
body.

Alert and lively – If the child is alert this is an indication that nutrition is optimal and that nutrients
are being absorbed properly.

Active– Desiring play and being active for at least a quarter of an hour multiple times during the day
indicates good health. Because exercise depletes vital fluids, encourage older children to drink
plenty of water.

A secure learner – If the child learns quickly, it shows that he or she is getting enough nutrients for
brain development.

Therefore, promoting healthy habits like proper nutrition, regular physical activity, and adequate
sleep are not distractions but strategic investments in your child’s educational journey. Doing well
in school serves as a significant indicator of a child’s well-being and plays a crucial role in
determining future health outcomes.
Signs that may indicate a child has a health problem include:

1. Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person's intake of energy and/or

nutrients. The term malnutrition addresses 3 broad groups of conditions:

• undernutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age), and
underweight (low weight-for-age);

• micronutrient-related malnutrition, which includes micronutrient deficiencies (a lack of important

vitamins and minerals) or micronutrient excess; and

• overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke,
diabetes, and some cancers). WHO

2. Illness- a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind.

3. Hunger- a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to
eat.

Chronically malnourished children struggle to read and write simple sentences regardless of their
level of schooling, according to research by Save the Children.” (The Yorkshire Post, 2013)

“The majority of the underweight students had a lack of reading and writing skills, whereas the
majority of well-nourished students had good skills of reading and writing…” (Bhatti et al., 2020)

“Does he/she have a clear vision?”

Every child needs to have the following vision skills for effective reading and learning:

 Visual acuity—the ability to see clearly in the distance for viewing the chalkboard, at an
intermediate distance for the computer and up close for reading a book.
 Eye Focusing—the ability to quickly and accurately maintain clear vision as the distance from
objects change, such as when looking from the chalkboard to a paper on the desk and back.
Eye focusing allows the child to easily maintain clear vision over time like when reading a
book or writing a report.
 Eye tracking—the ability to keep the eyes on target when looking from one object to
another, moving the eyes along a printed page or following a moving object like a thrown
ball.
 Eye teaming—the ability to coordinate and use both eyes together when moving the eyes
along a printed page, and to be able to judge distances and see depth for classwork and
sports.
 Eye-hand coordination—the ability to use visual information to monitor and direct the hands
when drawing a picture or trying to hit a ball. Simply put, it is the ability of the body to
coordinate hand movement based on information from the eyes
 Visual perception—the ability to organize images on a printed page into letters, words and
ideas and to understand and remember what is read.

Other visual perceptual skills include:

 Recognition—the ability to tell the difference between letters like "b" and "d".
 Comprehension—"picture" in the child's mind what is happening in a story he/she is
reading.
 Retention—remember and recall details of what we read.
Signs that may indicate a child has a vision problem include:

 Complaints of discomfort and fatigue.

 Frequent eye rubbing or blinking.
 Short attention span.
 Avoiding reading and other close activities.
 Frequent headaches.
 Covering one eye.
 Tilting the head to one side.
 Holding reading materials close to the face.
 An eye turning in or out.
 Seeing double.
 Losing place when reading.
 Difficulty remembering what he or she read.