Comparison of Health Awareness among Public and Private Secondary School Students in District Bahawalpur

1. Ph D. Scholar, Department of Education, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan 2. Dean, Faculty of Education, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan 3. PhD. Scholar, Department of Education, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan PAPER INFO ABSTRACT Received: April 18, 2020 Accepted: June 15, 2020 Online: June 30, 2020 In this era of science and technology human beings are provided with lot of facilities but they have also suffered with severe health issues. The health awareness may save humans from different health problems at earliest as it reaches to severity. As for as the health of students is concerned, it is equally important for themselves and also lead to a healthy society in future. The objective of this study is to determine the health awareness of secondary school students and comparison of awareness level among public and private secondary school students. Total 200 secondary school students both public and private were chosen as sample. The data was collected through questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. T test is applied. The health awareness level among secondary school students was found poor. There is a significant difference of health awareness between public and private institutes. The private school students have more awareness than public school students. it is recommended that there may be inclusion of knowledge about health awareness in the syllabus


Introduction
Human beings are always struggling for a happy and healthy life. After infancy period the most important part of life is school life for every person. School life plays an important role, it teaches Morales, etiquettes, and way of better living. It not only builds human beings mentally but also spiritually, to live a happy life one must be in state of total wellbeing and enjoys good health which also ensures success in life. For this purpose, he or she has to be in state of complete physical and mental fitness. People now a day's live in fascinations. They are so lazy and don't know how to retain good health for a longer time. The students are facing number of problems in schools and homes. They are facing failures but lack courage to face their lacking. They go into anxiety, mental depression, and fear and in this way, they distort their own personalities. They themselves make their life devastating.
A marvelous health provides wholeness to people and change their personality. Good health provides confidence and also self-consciousness. Health is multi factorial and all biological social economical environmental and cultural factors contribute to it. Health is not only the absence of disease of deformity but environmental factors have great impact on it. These environmental factors include anything like food security, proper sanitation, housing, pollution free air, neat and clean water etc. health is also influenced by socio economic environment surrounding people have great effect on persons mental conditions as well.
The development of societies is depending on the health of their individuals, and the students have the utmost importance among all the individuals. Students are the future of nation, if they are healthy; we have a healthy nation in future. Health, diet and education are the three basic necessities of a student so these three should be fulfilled properly. Teacher and students are the two key elements of education system around which the whole process of teaching and learning is revolving. The teacher imparts knowledge through extensive preparedness of subject, selecting suitable material, delivering the lecture in affective way and efficiently, measures the outcomes of the students and then again revisits his whole exercise according to the feedback of students. The efficacy of teacher is the life of every institute. The students are the most important part of any institute. The students absorb the knowledge and their outcomes decide the efficacy and efficiency of any teacher. The response or outcomes of students depend on various factors from which health of students is important one. The famous Latin quotation "A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body" describes the importance of health. Health awareness contains numerous features that comprise healthy behavior and cognitive requirements. Some of these features contain personal health and the approach humans shield their health, the environment, drinking water, pollutants, thinking towards self health, bad habits like smoking drug addiction and their harmful effects, infectious diseases and their ways of shift.
If a student is healthy, he or she can perform well in the studies and being a healthy person. A poor health of a children leads to a poor academic achievement, poor attendance and ultimately a poor contributor of the society. So, health of students should be given a considerable place in school activities by the educational stake holders and outside the school by the parents.

Literature Review
According to Abdo (2003) health awareness istransforming the conducts of individuals especially in case of diseases which blowout in public through educating people and growing their information.Implanting of habits and civilizations that might impose the health feature such as sports and diet is also included in it. Ahmad (2012) realizes that a person who incorporates healthy social, mental and physical integration enjoys his healthy life and he always kept his health in his mind in every activity of life. He also agreed that sports practicing help in avoiding common diseases which are mostly caused by unhealthy habits. Health aspect has two major fields, First is health education that relates to gain knowledge and information regarding health, and the second is health consciousness which governs by practicing that information and knowledge into our daily life.
O'liewa (1999) defines health awareness as "conversion of knowledge about health and practices into behavioral forms among individuals". The researcher simply attached the knowledge of health and the repeated practices about self healthcare that ultimately change into behavior. These developed behaviors of our adults lead to a healthy society.
Al-Ahmadi (2003) define health awareness as the persons' acquirement of knowledge about health, and their concern to their own health and also for the others' health. The health care practices are consequences from understanding, urging, and the transmission of these health care practices inthe unconscious conducts. When the teachers and students will become health conscious and have necessary knowledge about health issues, they can easily handle the basic health issues of themselves as well as others.
According to Thakurata (2020) our youth now a day is suffering with different pressures. They are living in the era of information but still there is a problem of misconception of that information. The students should provide with an atmosphere in which they can easily discuss their health related issues with their parents and teachers which lead to a healthy adulthood. We can provide this opportunity by either trained the teachers to guide the students about their health issues or by providing health care facilities on campus to solve the basic health problems. The teachers should have an atmosphere of well being and kindness with students that they can easily share their health problems and parents should also take part in this important issue of their children. They have to aware themselves as well as their children about self health. They have to keep a sharp eye on the growing body changes and needs accordingly of their young ones.
Infectious diseases especially chronic diseases were spreading more commonly in the communities. Diabetes, high or low blood pressure, heart related diseases, use of alcohol, smoking improper medication are common now a day. The growth in population is very rapid and cause shortage of sources for them. Malnutrition and illness due to it and pollution are the main causes of the failure of physical and mental capability (Al-Amoudi, 2007). Leaver (2014) conducted a study about influence of social health issues of elementary school students who go to see a nurse. The students were equated on the basis of number of visits to the school nurse. The students who see the nurse more than five times in a year were termed as frequently visiting students. The students who visited to school nurse less than five times were termed as infrequent visiting students. The standards to calculate the social well being was status of health, environment of school, social interactions and school as a place of self-fulfillment. Among all the standards, the health status has the topmost correlation with frequent visits to nurse at school. This study informed us about the importance of school-based healthcare facilities. The students who take care of their health by visiting the healthcare professionals they have high values of social well beings. This is another aspect of being healthy students that they better serve the nations as they will be more generous towards people by socially interacting with them.
The American College Health Association (ACHA) is struggling to go forward for the betterment of health of college students and all other officials involved in college campus through education, support and research. Many college campuses think that health of students may fall under health and physical department of the college but as the time passes, the health issues of students' demands to solve it by healthcare providers. Now various campuses in America have separate departments to solve the health problems of on campus students under the healthcare professionals. The American College Health Association provides actions, provisions and progression in the healthcare of students in the campus and in surroundings. Leone, et al (2011) reported that risky behavior amendments are allied with facial structure, physical fitness, weight of body and mass of muscles. Risky behavior amendments included steroid consumption, frequent diet variations followed by extensive exercise and other means of coping. The researchers pointed out that there should educational mechanism of undergraduate students about body image and coping methods. Many people now think about the on-campus facilities of healthcare of students as with the other educational activities the health awareness and remedial tasks are also equally important.
In rural Bangladesh oral health conditions of school children are very poor. So, there is a dire need to include oral health and education programs at school level in Bangladesh. Furthermore, this practice should be spread at national level of planning and evaluation of health promoting programs in the country. (Bhuiyan, Anwar, Anwar, Ali, Agrawa, 2020) Singh (2016) said that exercise, nutrition and rest are the three key elements for a good health. Mall nutrition and bad habits lead to many health issues. It is possible to save the health of our young generation by introducing the health education at school level.

Material and Methods
Descriptive research method is adopted to achieve the objectives of this study. Questionnaire was used for data collection. The research tool was primarily tested at 20 students of different secondary schools. Finally, two experts ensure the face validity of the tool. According to the propositions of the experts some items were eliminated and some new items were added. A total of fifteen questions were finalized in the questionnaire. In this study the population is consisted of all the secondary school students in district Bahawalpur Punjab Pakistan. Total twenty schools were selected randomly. The 200 students (100 students from public schools and 100 students from private schools) were randomly selected ten students from each school as sample of the study. Questionnaire was distributed among the students.

Results and Discussion
Researcher personally visited the schools and collected the data from the respondents. After collecting the data, it was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Independent T-test was applied.  Table 1 is about the analysis of health awareness of students at Secondary School. Findings showed that in the statement about keeping an eye on health, mean score of Private school is greater than Public school students (3.11>2.45) which means that the awareness about health of private schools is better as compared to Public school students. In the statement about washing hands before meals, mean value of Private school students is higher than the students of Public school (3.80>2.79) which means that students of private schools washing hands before meal. According to statement no.3 the students of public and private schools are not washing their hands after meal. The response of statement no.4 (4.35>3.44) showed that students of private schools washed their hands after using toilet. The mean value of statement "I brush my teeth at morning" for private schools' students (4.15>2.86) is greater than the public schools' students. The Mean value for brushing the teeth before going to bed at night is insignificant for both public and private school students. The mean value for brushing the tongue is low for both private and public schools' students, which mean that both did not wash their tongue while brushing. The statement "I change my tooth brush after three months" the mean value (3.38>2.51) showed that private schools students change their brush after three months while public schools' students do not change their brush after three months. The mean value for statement "I took bath daily" (4.41>2.42) is greater for private school students which means they took bath daily. According to statement no.10 the public and private school students do not rinse their mouth after meal. The private school students wash their fruit before eating as the mean value for statement no.11 (3.65>2.47) for private school students is greater than public school students. The mean value for statement no.12 showed that both private and public schools' students do not use filtered or boiled water. The mean value (1.85<4.14) students of private schools did not take part in sports as their value is less than public school students. the mean value for exercise daily (3.23<3.34) is lesser for private school students as compare to public school students, which mean that private schools' students do not exercise daily. The mean value for statement no.15 (3.89>2.56) showed that private school students spend their lot most of the time in studying as compare to public school students.  Table 2 shows comparison between the students of public and private secondary schools about level of health awareness. It is shown that p-value (.000*) is lower than 0.05 level of significance. It means that there was significant difference in the health awareness level of students of public and private secondary schools. The overall mean value shows that the health awareness among secondary schools' students is low.

Findings of the study
Followings are the findings of my study 1. Majority of private secondary schools' students are aware about keeping an eye on their health.
2. Majority of private secondary school students are aware about washing hands before meal while majority of public schools' students do not wash hands before meal.
3. Both private and public secondary school students are not aware of washing their hands after meal.
4. Both private and public secondary school students are aware of washing their hands after using toilet.
5. Majority of private secondary school students are aware of brushing their teeth at morning while public schools' students do not brush their teeth at morning.
6. Both private and public secondary school students are not aware of brushing their teeth before going to bed.
7. Both private and public secondary school students are not aware of brushing their tongue.
8. Majority of private secondary school students are aware of changing their brush after three months while majority of public schools' students do not change their brush after three months.
9. Majority of private secondary schools' students are aware of bathing on daily basis while majority of public schools' students do not take bath daily.
10. Both private and public secondary schools' students are not aware of rinsing their mouth after meal.
11. Majority of private secondary schools' students are aware of washing fruits before eating while public schools' students do not wash their fruit before eating.
12. Both private and public secondary schools' students are not using filtered or boiled water.
13. Majority of public secondary schools' students are aware of participating in sport while majority of private secondary schools' students do not take part in sports.
14. Majority of public secondary schools' students are aware ofdaily exercise while majority 0f private secondary schools' students do not exercise daily.
15. Majority of private secondary schools' students are spending their time in studying.
16. Majority of secondary schools' students have low health awareness.
17. Private secondary schools' students are more aware about their health as compared to public schools' students.
This study was mainly conducted to detect the health awareness level of secondary school students. The study reveals that awareness about health is low in secondary school students in district Bahawalpur. Agarwal et al (2020) also reported that oral health of students in rural Bangladesh is very poor. Thakurata (2020) reported that health consciousness and hygiene level among adolescent girls is very low in district Howrah India. It is the need of the time to get aware our children about their health to get a healthy happy society. The students of private secondary schools are more aware about their health as compare to public secondary schools' students. their may be other factors also involved instead of private and public schools need to be addressed such as parent income, parent education, parents' self-health caring attitudes etc.

Conclusion
Health awareness level among secondary school students both public and private is low in district Bahawalpur. In comparison to the public school students, the students of private secondary schools are bit more aware about their health. As a whole the health awareness is poor in both public and private secondary school students.

Recommendations
This study recommends that knowledge about health care should be included in the syllabus of secondary level and also at some earlier classes it may be added. The school authorities should organize programs on health awareness and health education. Physical activities and use of filtered water should be promoted in the students. Students should be made well aware of healthy life style by the school authorities. Parents should take on board to promote healthy activities in children.