Investigating the Environmental Health and Safety Indices among Schools in Mazandaran Province, Iran

Introduction and purpose: Students spend valuable moments at school that is coincided with growing physically and mentally. So health services including school environmental health has a positive impact on development of health of students and ultimately the society. The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental health and safety of schools in Mazandaran province in 2012. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. All primary, middle and high schools in both urban and rural areas were selected by census method. Data were collected using a checklist according to laws and regulations of Ministry of Health and Medical education of Islamic Republic of Iran through interview with principals. The data were analyzed using Excel-2007. Results: The results of this study showed that 90% of drinking fountains, lavatories and toilets were sanitary. Water hygiene, classes’ environment, safety and safekeeping policies, wastewater disposal and solid waste collection and disposal were favorable. But only 35.6% and 46.6% of buffets in urban and rural schools had hygienic environment, relatively. Conclusion: The studied Schools were relatively healthy places except the condition of more than 50% of schools buffets, which were unsuitable. Thus due to the role of healthy nutrition in students health, this requires more attention of the authorities to hygienic environment of buffets in schools.