Appraisal of Health Problems Experienced by Specially Challenged School Going Children in North Karnataka

Background Specially challenged children are more likely to be accompanied by dental oral eating problems spasticity and other muscular disorders and anxiety among caregivers.Aim To assess the health problems experienced by specially challenged school going children.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the schools meant for specially challenged children from urban area of Belagavi city in the month of August 2023. All the students from a randomly selected blind school n123 a deaf and dumb school n64 and a school for intellectually disabled n24 were included in the study. The basic information was collected from guardiansparents school records and by thorough clinical examination including few blood investigations. The Barthel Index was used to assess their dependency in Activities of Daily Living ADL.Results Out of total 211 specially challenged children included in the study majority 54.5 were females. About 64.4 of the subjects were aged 11 to 15 years. Based on age and gender specific body mass index BMI centiles 26.5 were found to be malnourished - overweight and obese 18.95 and undernourished 7.6. Almost one fourth of them 24.2 had dental caries and 16 7.6 showed pallor. Around 33 15.6 children reported similar disability in their families. One fifth of the children 20.4 were found to be dependent for activities of daily living as determined by Barthel index.Conclusion Specially challenged children are often excluded from health services though they are more prone to various health issues. The schools meant for such children need to effectively implement periodic health intervention programmes.