IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH-PROGRAMS OF AGE AND GENDER PATTERNS IN THE TANZANIAN PRIMARY-SCHOOL

This paper examines children's potential access to school health servi ces by analysing data on the demographic structure, enrolment patterns and reported causes of early school-leaving in 347 schools in Tanga R egion, Tanzania served by a school-based health programme. The analysi s indicates that net enrolment ratios have risen over the previous 6 y ears, particularly among children under 10 years. However, in 1994 chi ldren were still much older than expected for a basic school populatio n: 81% were adolescents (greater than or equal to 10 years) and the me an age was 12 years. These data suggest that schools can provide equit able access to health education and school-based health services for a majority of children, even in a low-income country, and that the prim ary school population is predominantly adolescent and would benefit fr om health programmes targeted at that age group.