The anatomical knowledge of Namibian school children

Taylor, Adam M. and Kirsten, Lojandrie and Sedda, Luigi and Wessels, Quenton (2025) The anatomical knowledge of Namibian school children. Anatomical Sciences Education. ISSN 1935-9772

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Abstract

The public has limited knowledge of key organs and anatomical structures. The lack of anatomical knowledge and understanding can hinder time to access healthcare, quality of care, and treatment outcomes. The current study investigated the anatomical knowledge among Namibian children by comparing 8 school grades—4 to 12, which covers children from the ages of 9 to 18 years old, with a total of 481 participants from 5 schools located across various areas of Namibia. All structures showed an increase in the correct responses with an increase of age except for the stomach. Structures within the abdomen were most poorly answered, with the spleen (8.8%), adrenals (9.8%), gallbladder (11.9%), and pancreas (12.1%). Structures were then grouped into functional systems and a multiple logistic regression model was used to ascertain knowledge level compared with grade 4 (the earliest year of education) and girls as reference. Knowledge improved significantly across multiple increasing school grades. Students demonstrated the best increase in performance in muscular, endocrine, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems, respectively—with 2 schools outperforming the rest. Analysis of the percentage of structures correctly located by boys and girls showed that girls outscored boys on average, in 15 of the structures. This is the first study to look specifically at the anatomical knowledge of children in both a primary and secondary educational setting, and the first that considers learners in Africa. The study provides evidence into the need for improved health education and promotion and its benefits in school children and their anatomical knowledge.