ASSESSMENT OF THE HEALTH STATUS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS, BASED ON THE RESULTS OF MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS

School age is a key period in the formation of health and risk factors for future diseases, the issues of protecting the health of school-age children are critically important for the health and education system, and also determines the quality of life, labor and social potential of the people.

Objective: To evaluate the dynamics of coverage by preventive medical examinations and the detection of key pathologies among schoolchildren (grades 0-9) in the Republic of Kazakhstan from 2016 to 2024, taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify interrelationships between disorders.

Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of official reporting under Form No. 31 from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Data on coverage, absolute and intensive indicators (per 10,000 examined) for hearing impairments, vision impairments, speech defects, scoliosis, posture disorders, and neuropsychiatric deviations were processed. Descriptive statistics, linear regression for trends, and Pearson correlation (p < 0.05) were applied. Calculations were performed using IBM SPSS 25.0 and JASP 0.19.3.

Results: Examination coverage averaged 97.8 % in the pre-pandemic period, dropped to 86.6 % in 2020, and recovered to 93.9 % by 2024. Detection rates for vision impairments decreased from 229.23 to 165.03 per 10,000 (slope –8.26; p < 0.001); for scoliosis, from 32.39 to 25.44 (–1.01; p < 0.01); for posture disorders, from 45.87 to 30.98 (–1.42; p < 0.05); and for neuropsychiatric deviations, from 49.80 to 14.59 (–4.31; p < 0.001). Indicators for speech and hearing remained stable. Correlations between disorders were high (r = 0.763–0.956; p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Systemic screening effectively reduces the burden of pathologies but requires reinforcement in the post-pandemic period. A multidisciplinary approach and digitalization for regional areas are recommended.

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