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Infection prevention is one of the main tasks of the public health services. The "Protection against infection act" places all medical institutions and facilities for children (kindergartens and schools) under the obligation to assume responsibility and to cooperate. Duties of the institutions are described, and public health services are obliged to perform hygiene control visits.Regarding medical institutions, the guidelines of the German Commission on Hospital Hygiene and Infection Control have to be observed, and the counties were obliged to publish hygiene enactments. Subsequently, good improvements in hygiene management in medical institutions were achieved. In schools, however, severe hygienic problems (i.e. sanitary hygiene, indoor air hygiene) are detected, without any improvement - obviously due to a missing sense of responsibility in the school community. Causes for poor behaviour prevention (hand hygiene, ventilation) and missing situational prevention (i.e. cleaning) are discussed. Without reversion to the obviously needed but nearly forgotten subject school hygiene, obligatory guidelines and the assuming of responsibility, permanent improvements cannot be achieved., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

For reasons of prevention medical examinations of school beginners are brought forward up to 2 years before school enrollment. In Baden-Württemberg HASE is used as screening for risks in the acquisition of language and in learning to read and write. Up to now norms were insufficient for the age-group of 4;0-4;5 years. Based on the results of 3 354 children the norms for this age-group could be recalculated and are now available as percentile ranks, T-scores, and C-scores., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Introduction: This study focuses on the nutrition of young people in schools. The Saarland state government mandates the implementation of the "quality standards for school meals", developed by the Germany Society of Nutrition (Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ernährung, DGE) in schools offering school meals. This research evaluates the state of implementation., Methods: 4-week menu plans were evaluated using a stratified random sample of selected schools (n25%-sample=5, ntotal=23). In addition, all catering services of the district (ncaterer=5) were interviewed by written survey focused on any information on the company, the type of food, the menu design as well as general information., Results: None of the analysed menu plans met the DGE standard. The analysis of the menu plans allows for an assessment of the nutritional quality of food. Interviews with caterers provide background information on menu design., Discussion: The analysis of a randomised 25%-sample shows that the target specifications of the DGE are only implemented by a small number of schools in the exemplary selected district of St. Wendel, Germany. As the German Child and Youth Health Survey (KiGGS), also this evaluation shows that the quality of school meals deviates significantly from the recommendations of the DGE. There is a clear need for action., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Within the Health Protection in Childhood and Adolescence Research Project a hygienic inspection questionnaire was designed for schools. To test this questionnaire, 248 schools in 11 districts of the county of Karl-Marx-Stadt were inspected. From the ascertainments made, several instances are cited to point out the priorities of school hygiene.

The acoustic quality of a gymnasium essentially determines the noise level which originates with use. High noise levels impair conditions of instructions and training. The time of reverberation was measured in 10 gymnasiums. The acoustic conditions were bad in most of them. It is not possible that more than one group of kids or students are under training together. Present sound absorbers on the ceiling do not meet all requirements.