In the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos), health education is clearly a core aspect of the health service and is vital in improving people's lives through good health. However, there are many obstacles to conducting effective health education. The development of effective educational media is one solution to these problems. In Laos, traditional folk songs (lam) are preserved as part of the local communication media, and recently this communication medium has been used for health education. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of educational media using lam. For this purpose, we conducted focus group discussions with 48 participants. The reactions of the participants towards a lam, developed for preventing HIV/AIDS, were analysed using the KJ (Kawakita Jiro) method. The analysis showed there were eight areas of concern: (1) interest in a lam talking about HIV/AIDS; (2) knowledge and perception related to HIV infection routes; (3) expressing a willingness for preventing HIV/AIDS; (4) togetherness with people living with HIV/AIDS; (5) HIV/AIDS education for children; (6) improving educational methods; (7) characteristics and effectiveness of the lam and (8) song preferences. The reactions of the participants, such as gaining knowledge and expressing individual attitudes and community actions for preventing HIV/AIDS, were promoted by the characteristics and effectiveness of the lam such as oral tradition, artistry and cultural values. In particular, the oral tradition represented by lam is useful for the Lao people in memorizing and communicating information.
Purpose:
Infection with hookworm and
Opisthorchis viverrini
are serious health problems among children and adolescents in Laos. In this study, we demonstrated the factors related to hookworm and
O. viverrini
infection, including primary school health programs, among secondary school students in Vientiane city of Laos.
Material and methods:
A cross-sectional survey and stool examination were conducted among secondary school students in Vientiane. One stool sample from each participant was examined using two Kato-Katz smears. Data of 164 participants were analyzed and the associations among parasitic infections, sociodemographic characteristics, and the school health program in primary school were assessed in a univariate logistic regression analysis. Predictors with
p
<0.25 were retained in a multivariate logistic regression model. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. The significance level was set at
p
<0.05.
Results:
The infection rates of
O. viverrini
and hookworm were 39.0% and 36.0%, respectively. Older students (OR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.01–2.37,
p
=0.046) and those whose father had irregular income (OR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.13–0.93,
p
=0.036) had a higher risk for hookworm infection. Students whose mother had irregular income (OR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.13–0.69,
p
=0.005) had a higher risk for
O. viverrini
infection. Higher primary school health program scores were associated with a lower risk for hookworm infection in the univariate model but not in the multivariate model.
Conclusion:
Sociodemographic factors have a strong influence on infections with both hookworm and
O. viverrini
. Current school health programs in Laos may be insufficient to reduce
O. viverrini
infections. Other approaches, such as supporting parents in finding employment with regular income, may be needed.
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