Research paper - stdent Absences - Essay Example

Health related problems for children at school have always been a relevant social issue and the steps to reduce the impact are not new. The use of the nursing profession in school environments to reduce the impact of health related problems goes back by more than a hundred years. The focus of such activity was to reduce the spread of communicable diseases and diseases that have their origin in poor hygiene. The focus of activities and programs related to reducing health related problems of children at school remains the same even today (Wolfe & Selekman, 2002).

Frequently encountered causes of health problems related to school absence by students find their origins in gastrointestinal and respiratory infections (Sandora, Shih & Goldman, 2008). According to Moonie et al 2008, absenteeism from school results in lower grades for the students and reduced psychological, social and educational interaction for these students. These factors cause schools to be alert to emerging health problems that could cause children to keep away from classes and to take steps to evaluate any such evolving causes and initiate action to remove the source or reduce its impact (Moonie et al, 2008).

The band master of Truman Middle School in his report to the Principal has observed that on Wednesday, May 20, one-third of the students who were supposed to attend the band class did not attend the class. The Principal is reminded of an earlier occasion, when students absented themselves from school activities due to an outbreak of flu and requests assistance in determining whether a heath related problem exists and the possible measures to be taken to address it (Messages). Truman Middle School does have a health problem that may be either an outbreak of viral infection or from gastrointestinal infection that originates from the poor food hygiene practices at the food