Screening physical examinations in 25,000 Israeli schoolchildren
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Rena Lev Ran
und
Bella Adler
Abstract
Physical examinations in childhood and adolescence have been recommended by various professional organizations. In order to assess the value of periodic physical examinations in identifying previously undetected conditions, we analyzed the results of school screening examinations of approximately 25,000 Israeli students.
Methods: Entire student populations in the 1st, 5th, 7th, and 10th grades in the Tel Aviv-Yafo public school system were offered physical examinations during the 1996–1997 and 1997–1998 school years. Nine physicians performed these examinations. Referrals to the primary care physician were made for abnormal findings. The frequencies of the leading referrals were determined, and comparisons were made according to gender and grade.
Results: A total of 24,846 students were examined. The overall referral rate was 7.8 per 100 examinations. Leading referrals included “overweight”, “heart murmur”, and “spinal structural abnormalities” at all grade levels, and “nevi” in grades 5, 7, and 10. Referral rates increased between various grade levels for “spinal structural abnormalities”, “nevi”, and “varicocele”, and decreased for “short stature” and “overweight”. Of the 196 diagnoses documented after referral, 182 (93%) fell into three categories, namely, spinal, hernia and scrotal, and short stature.
Conclusions: A wide range of physical findings were detected or referred at each of the grade levels in this large population of schoolchildren. Many of these were triggers for preventive health counseling, while approximately 1% of the examinations yielded important findings requiring intervention. These results provide a measure of justification for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for periodic physical examinations in childhood and adolescence.
©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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- Masthead
- Masthead
- Editorial
- The young and suicide
- Original Articles
- Risk of developing diabetes and dyslipidemia among adolescents with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia
- Health and educational performance among young migrants
- Illness appraisals and health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with allergies and asthma
- The levels and patterns of resilience among male street children in Dhaka City
- Screening physical examinations in 25,000 Israeli schoolchildren
- Development of adiposity, obesity and age at menarche: an 8-year follow-up study in Portuguese schoolgirls
- Healthcare utilization and barriers for youth post-detention
- Unwanted sexual experiences among adolescents: shedding light on the gray zone between consensual and non-consensual sex
- Are teenagers at risk for developing cardiovascular disease in later life?
- Adolescent suicide: characterizing the need and identifying the predictive factors for preventive consultation or hospitalization in a rural community setting
- Tattoo, piercing, and adolescent tobacco consumption
- Adolescents with diabetes: support from healthcare teams and families
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