The Mexico City Secretary of Public Education (SEP) presented the strategy 'Live healthy, live happy' in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and the System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family (DIF). This initiative consists of brigades of specialists who will visit schools to assess the health of students at four stations.
The first checkpoint will be the measurement of height and weight of all children, as in the last two decades, childhood obesity has increased by 20%. Additionally, a 3% increase in anemia and malnutrition due to vitamin deficiency has been observed in girls and boys aged 6 to 11 years.
The second station will carry out a visual evaluation to detect possible vision problems. The third station will focus on oral health, where students will be taught the correct teeth brushing technique. Lastly, at the fourth station, specialized staff from the Secretary of Health will give talks on behaviors and habits that promote children's well-being.
All information collected will be integrated into a Digital School Health File, which will only be accessible to the families of the students. This record will provide basic recommendations on healthy lifestyle choices and, if necessary, refer minors to specialists in IMSS or IMSS Bienestar clinics for appropriate care.
The Mexican government also plans to implement the strategy 'Live healthy, live happy' starting next Wednesday, March 12. Mario Delgado, head of the SEP, highlighted that 90,832 public primary schools will be visited to examine the health of approximately 12 million students. Additionally, there was information about the campaign "Fentanyl kills you. Here’s a good one for students! Stay away from drugs."
