Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Mar 4, 2020
Date Accepted: Apr 9, 2020
Determining the impact of a school-based health education package for prevention of intestinal worm infections in the Philippines: protocol for a cluster-randomised intervention trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Repeated mass drug administration (MDA) of antihelminthics to at-risk populations is still the main strategy for the control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections. However, MDA, as a stand-alone intervention, does not prevent reinfection. Accordingly, complementary measures to prevent STH re-infection, such as health education and improved sanitation, as part of an integrated control approach, are required to augment the effectiveness of MDA for optimal efficiency and sustainability.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to determine the impact and generalizability of a school-based health education package, entitled “The Magic Glasses” for STH prevention in the Philippines.
Methods:
We undertook a cluster-randomised controlled intervention trial, targeting schoolchildren aged 9-10 years, in 40 schools in Laguna province, the Philippines. The trial was conducted over the course of one year (June 2016 - July 2017). Twenty schools were randomly assigned to the “intervention” arm, in which the “Magic Glasses Philippines” health education package was delivered with the standard health education activities endorsed by the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd). The other 20 schools comprised the “control” arm of the study, where the DOH/DepEd’s standard health education activities were done. At baseline, parasitological and a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) survey were carried out in all schools. In addition, height, weight and haemoglobin levels were obtained from each child (after parental consent), and their school attendance and academic performance in English and Mathematics were accessed from the school records. The baseline, and two follow-up surveys were completed using the same study measurements and quality-control assessments.
Results:
Key results from this cluster randomised intervention trial will provide insights on the impact that the Magic Glasses health education package will have against STH infections in schoolchildren in the Province of Laguna, located on the Island of Luzon, in the Calabarzon Region of the Philippines.
Conclusions:
The results of the trial will be used to assess the generalisability of the impact of the “Magic Glasses” health education package in different epidemiological and cultural settings, providing evidence for translation of this health education package into public health policy and practice in the Asian region and beyond Clinical Trial: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number: ACTRN12616000508471. Registered 20 April 2016, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368849&isReview=true
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