1.2m First Graders Screened for Health

Since the beginning of the current school year (started September 23), more than 1.2 million first graders underwent health screening, of whom 37% were found to have different types of dental problems including dental caries, said Mohammad Esmaeil Motlaq, director general of the Health Ministry’s Family, Population and Schools Office.  “The screening also suggested that 71% of the students had healthy or normal body mass index (BMI), 8% were obese, 13% were overweight, and 8% were underweight,” Alef News Agency reported.

Around 4.4% of the students were identified with various diseases such as diabetes, epilepsy, allergy, thalassemia and cancer, and were referred to treatment centers.