The DREES (Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics) has just published the results of the National School Health Survey, carried out in the large kindergarten section, in 2012-2013. This annual survey, implemented in 1999, is based on the health checks of 6-year-old students, intended to detect pathologies and disorders likely to have an effect on learning. It reveals that, from the age of 6, children suffer from strong health disparities. Overweight and oral health being two of the main illustrations.
Thus, the children of managers have better health indicators: 7% are overweight and 1% are obese, against respectively 16% and 6% among workers. On the teeth side, the proportion of children of executives with at least one decayed tooth is 8% against 30% among workers. In addition, the latter are 24% to present untreated decayed teeth, against 4% of the children of executives.
47% of children have never seen a dentist
These disparities can also be explained by differences in lifestyle habits: managers have behaviors that offer more room for prevention. If 60% of their children brush their teeth several times a day, this practice only concerns 47% of the children of workers. And only 40% of workers’ children have ever consulted a dentist outside of school, against 56% for managers.
The influence of social environment and lifestyle is particularly illustrated in the case of overweight: overweight children spend more time in front of a screen (53% spend more than an hour daily on school days). against 43% on average). They also eat breakfast less often every day and consume more sugary drinks.
There are more children who wear glasses
During this survey, a screening for visual disturbances is also carried out. In 2013, the proportion of pupils in the large kindergarten section wearing glasses reached 18% and no difference was observed by sex. This percentage gradually increased from 12% in 2000 to 14% in 2006, reaching 18% in 2013.
However, the proportion of children who have myopia but do not have glasses is 10.5% on average. A proportion which reaches 14% in schools falling under priority education.
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