Status and visions for the school health service as reported by local health care workers in Northern Tanzania.
OBJECTIVE
The World Health Organization's (WHO) Global School Health Initiative provides a strategy to utilize schools to promote health and reduce the burden of diseases worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate local school health work in Tanzania in relation to existing national guidelines and the WHO initiative.


METHODS
We interviewed 30 health care workers employed at 15 health institutions throughout Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions.


RESULTS
The results indicate a wide gap between the national and international guidelines for school health programs and the health workers' current practices. We found the main obstacles to providing adequate health care to be related to the burden of poverty that influences all levels of school health services, lack of clarity regarding the current official guidelines for school health services, and lack of appropriate offers for continuing education in the area of school health services.


CONCLUSIONS
In order to successfully establish an integrated school health service, the working relationship between schools, health centres and the community clearly needs improvement.
Borge
Astrid Merete
AM
Bergen University College, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bergen, Norway. Astrid.Borge@Hib.no
Manongi
Rachel N
RN
Masatu
Melkiory C
MC
Klepp
Knut-Inge
KI
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006282:Health Personnel; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population; D012572:School Health Services; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D013636:Tanzania; D055815:Young Adult