Early detection of students' mental health issues from a traditional daily health observation scheme in Japanese schools and its digitalization.

Objective: The implementation of school-based mental health screening offers promise for early detection of mental health issues in children; however, various barriers hinder its widespread adoption. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of digital data obtained from an established daily health observation scheme in Japanese schools to identify later mental health issues in children.

Methods: Data for the analysis were obtained from 2,433 students enrolled in five public schools.