The Contribution of Community Health Education to Sustainable Control of the Neglected Zoonotic Diseases

Butala, Caitlin; Fyfe, Jenna; Welburn, Susan C.

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.729973

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Several educational initiatives undertaken in schools or communities have been successful in improving school-age children's knowledge of schistosomiasis, and have achieved greater adherence to diagnosis and treatment and fostered some changes in risky behaviour (10,13,28,43). Most, however, are ad hoc and external to the communities, and positive results are rarely sustained after termination of project funding (44).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers as multipliers of knowledge about schistosomiasis: a possible approach for health education programmes

Murta

Massara

Rodrigues

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: In the past decade, Brazil has significantly reduced the prevalence of schistosomiasis through a combined effort of early treatment of infected people, expansion of basic sanitation infrastructure and educational measures. Despite these efforts, in some areas, prevalence of schistosomiasis exceeds 20% of the school population, who lack knowledge of the risks of the disease. Action can be taken in schools to empower this population about their health condition. This paper describes the role of the teacher as a multiplier of knowledge about schistosomiasis and proposes two different approaches to training these teachers.Methods: This study used mixed methods to evaluate training of teachers and educational intervention with those teachers’ pupils. Two training courses, each of 40 hours of face-to-face activity, were offered to 19 teachers. The courses included classroom activities and laboratory and field work. After the training, the teachers conducted activities on schistosomiasis with their pupils. These activities involved constructing educational materials and cultural productions. The pupils’ knowledge about the disease was evaluated before the activities and 12 months later. The teachers’ acceptance and perceptions were assessed through structured interviews and subsequent thematic analysis. Infection status for Schistosoma mansoni was also assessed using the Kato Katz stool test.Results: The parasitological study showed 31.6% of the teachers and 21.4% of the pupils to be positive for S. mansoni. The teachers’ knowledge of important aspects of schistosomiasis transmission and prevention was fragmented and incorrect. The teachers’ knowledge changed significantly after the training and they were strongly accepting of the pedagogical methods used during the training. The level of their pupils’ knowledge about the disease had increased significantly. However, most pupils responded that, even after the educational activities, they still had contact with the city’s contaminated waters.Conclusions: The results of this study underline the importance of schools and teachers as partners in controlling and eliminating schistosomiasis. Teacher training on the disease significantly increases their pupils’ knowledge, reflecting empowerment with regard to local health conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers as multipliers of knowledge about schistosomiasis: a possible approach for health education programmes

Murta

Massara

Rodrigues

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several educational initiatives undertaken in schools or communities have been successful in improving school-age children’s knowledge of schistosomiasis, and have achieved greater adherence to diagnosis and treatment and fostered some changes in risky behaviour [ 16 , 19 , 37 , 52 ]. Most, however, are ad hoc and external to the communities, and positive results are rarely sustained after termination of project funding [ 53 ] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers as multipliers of knowledge about schistosomiasis: a possible approach for health education programmes

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In the past decade, Brazil has significantly reduced the prevalence of schistosomiasis through a combined effort of early treatment of infected people, expansion of basic sanitation infrastructure and educational measures. Despite these efforts, in some areas, prevalence of schistosomiasis exceeds 20% of the school population, who lack knowledge of the risks of the disease. Action can be taken in schools to empower this population about their health condition. This paper describes the role of the teacher as a multiplier of knowledge about schistosomiasis and proposes two different approaches to training these teachers. Methods This study used mixed methods to evaluate training of teachers and educational intervention with those teachers’ pupils. Two training courses, each with 40 h of face-to-face activity, were offered to 19 teachers, using two different but complementary approaches, based on theoretical references and specific educational strategies: Critical Pedagogical Approach (Training Course I, held in 2013) and Creative Play Approach (Training Course II, held in 2014).The courses included classroom activities, laboratory and field work. After the training, the teachers conducted activities on schistosomiasis with their pupils. These activities involved constructing educational materials and cultural productions. The pupils’ knowledge about the disease was evaluated before the activities and 12 months later. The teachers’ acceptance and perceptions were assessed through structured interviews and subsequent thematic analysis. The Shistosoma mansoni infection status of teachers and their students was also assessed using the Kato Katz stool test. Results The parasitological study showed 31.6% of the teachers and 21.4% of the pupils to be positive for S. mansoni. The teachers’ knowledge of important aspects of schistosomiasis transmission and prevention was fragmented and incorrect prior to the training. The teachers’ knowledge changed significantly after the training and they were strongly accepting of the pedagogical methods used during the training. The level of their pupils’ knowledge about the disease had increased significantly (p < 0.05). However, pupils responded that, even after the educational activities, they still had contact with the city’s contaminated waters (p > 0.05). Conclusions The results of this study underline the importance of schools and teachers as partners in controlling and eliminating schistosomiasis. Teacher training on the disease significantly increases their pupils’ knowledge, reflecting empowerment with regard to local health conditions.

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“…10 Although viruses were responsible for these incidents, bacteria also pose threats for widespread zoonotic incidents. 11 Bacteria are widely present in the human environment, and there are undoubtedly pathogens that can cause serious and even life-threatening infection in humans and livestock. In particular, in the advanced stages of some major diseases, such as AIDS and cirrhosis, bacterial infections are often the leading cause of death in patients.…”

Section: Bacterial Infection and Their Conventional Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

MicroRNA therapeutics and nucleic acid nano-delivery systems in bacterial infection: a review

Li¹,

Lei²,

Cheng³

et al. 2023

J. Mater. Chem. B

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The Contribution of Community Health Education to Sustainable Control of the Neglected Zoonotic Diseases

Cited by 10 publications

References 52 publications

Teachers as multipliers of knowledge about schistosomiasis: a possible approach for health education programmes

Teachers as multipliers of knowledge about schistosomiasis: a possible approach for health education programmes

Teachers as multipliers of knowledge about schistosomiasis: a possible approach for health education programmes

MicroRNA therapeutics and nucleic acid nano-delivery systems in bacterial infection: a review

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