article · Public Health Challenges
A retrospective review examined 10,428 outpatient consultations for school-aged children aged five to seventeen at Ho Polyclinic in Ghana between 2018 and 2022. The health facility historically specialised in dermatology as a former leprosarium. Analysis showed that three diagnostic categories accounted for 77.4 percent of all consultations: skin conditions at 38.3 percent, malaria at 23.0 percent, and respiratory conditions at 16.1 percent. This distribution remained consistent across the five-year study period. Furthermore, statistical testing revealed no significant associations between age group or sex and any of these three leading illnesses. The findings highlight that school-aged children experience a persistent burden of infectious and environmental conditions that does not vary significantly across demographic subgroups, pointing to the need for integrated, school-based interventions addressing skin care, malaria prevention, and respiratory hygiene.
Health policies in lower- and middle-income regions often focus primarily on children under five, leaving older children under-represented in health data. By detailing the primary reasons older children seek clinical care, these findings identify specific clinical burdens, particularly dermatological, malarial, and respiratory ailments, that can inform targeted, school-level public health planning.
The abstract provides epidemiological evidence rather than a product or device, indicating early-stage data for public health planning. Healthcare authorities, non-governmental organisations, and primary care developers could use these morbidity patterns to tailor school-based health programmes and preventive care packages for skin health, malaria, and respiratory hygiene. However, the abstract indicates no direct commercial pathway or proprietary technology.
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ABSTRACT Background The disease burden among school‐aged children (5–17 years) in low‐ and middle‐income countries remains poorly characterized, with health policies predominantly focused on children under five. This study described the morbidity profile and examined associated demographic factors among school‐aged children attending a primary care facility in Ghana. Methods A retrospective review of outpatient records was conducted at Ho Polyclinic in the Volta Region. Data from all consultations for children aged 5–17 years between January 2018 and December 2022 were extracted. The facility has a historical specialization in dermatological care because it was formally a leprosarium. Descriptive statistics summarized demographics and morbidity frequencies. Chi‐square tests assessed associations between age group, sex, and the three leading diagnostic categories. Results Among 10,428 consultations (mean age 10.3 ± 4.0 years; 54.4% female), skin conditions (38.3%), malaria (23.0%), and respiratory conditions (16.1%) constituted 77.4% of all diagnoses. This pattern remained consistent across the 5‐year study period. No statistically significant associations were found between age group or sex and diagnosis of skin conditions (age p = 0.598; sex p = 0.611), malaria (age p = 0.176; sex p = 0.452), or respiratory conditions (age p = 0.839; sex p = 0.555). Conclusion A consistent triad of infectious and environmental conditions dominates the morbidity profile of school‐aged children in this setting. The uniformity of this burden across demographic subgroups underscores the need for integrated, school‐based health interventions targeting skin health, malaria prevention, and respiratory hygiene to address this neglected demographic.
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DOI: 10.1002/puh2.70347
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