Identifying and Addressing Health Problems of Schoolchildren Through the Omaha System: A Nurse-Led Intervention Study in Suburban Istanbul

Background: Health problems such as anxiety, depression, obesity, and dental caries are increasingly prevalent among school-aged children. Protecting children’s health, ensuring early detection, and implementing timely interventions are essential both for promoting healthy childhoods and for reducing future burdens on the healthcare system. Achieving these objectives requires comprehensive descriptive data and holistic, nurse-led intervention programs. However, in Turkey, few studies have addressed schoolchildren’s health problems holistically, particularly through the Omaha System. Thus, it was aimed to identify the physiological, psychosocial, health-related behavioral, and environmental health problems of migrant and non-migrant schoolchildren in suburban Istanbul, to implement person-centered nursing interventions through the Omaha System, and to examine factors associated with these problems. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental, single-group intervention study. Data to create each schoolchild’s health file were collected using the Children’s Depression Inventory, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, the Adolescent Lifestyle Profile, anthropometric measurements, a Snellen vision checklist, and an oral and dental health checklist. These data, together with information obtained from individual interviews with the children, were integrated into electronic records in the Omaha System, which guided the identification of health problems and the implementation of person-centered nursing interventions. Results: The sample consisted of 918 children aged 10–14 years (grades 5–8); 51% were female, and 5% were Syrian migrants. The most frequent problems were oral health issues (29%), mental health concerns (14%), personal care difficulties (12%), and nutritional problems (11%). Interventions were primarily classified as teaching, guidance, and counseling (48.5%), followed by assessments (24%). Migration status was significantly associated with mental health (p = .001), personal care (p = .002), nutrition (p < .001), and physical activity (p < .001). Conclusion: Nurse-led interventions using the Omaha System effectively addressed common and preventable health problems among schoolchildren, underscoring the need for scalable, evidence-based school health programs tailored to vulnerable populations.