Roja Chokkara, Seetha Lakshmi Avudaiappan, Anitha Rani M, Eapen Alex
Community Health Nursing, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, IND.
Nursing Foundation, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2022 Jul 3;14(7):e26536. doi: 10.7759/cureus.26536. eCollection 2022 Jul.
School children are a means to reach and sensitize the community on the prevention of seasonal diseases such as malaria and dengue. The current study aims to determine the impact of school-based educational interventions on the knowledge of students toward the prevention and control of malaria and dengue in higher secondary schools.
This pre- and post-intervention study was conducted in three higher secondary schools in Zone IV, North Chennai, from September to December 2021. A total of 284 students in the age group of 13-17 years participated in the study. School-based educational interventions were delivered through PowerPoint-assisted lectures, participatory group activities, and demonstration of mosquito larvae and their control. The impact of the interventions as the change in knowledge level was analyzed using McNemar's test, with a p-value of <0.05.
Educational interventions led to the improvement in knowledge about malaria symptoms, such as fever (43.7% to 76.1%; p<0.001), chills (45.1% to 82.4%; p<0.001), and headache (46.1% to 86.6%; p<0.001), and the knowledge of mosquito bites as the cause of dengue transmission enhanced (41.9% to 92.2%; p<0.001). Similarly, there was an increase in knowledge on the identification of vector mosquito breeding sites inside the house (11.9% to 67.9%; p<0.001) and outside the house (10.9% to 69.7%; p<0.001) and mosquito net usage (21.5% to 76.1%; p<0.001) after the interventions.
School-based educational interventions had a significant impact on enhancing the knowledge on the prevention and control of malaria and dengue among school children. Involving school children can strengthen existing malaria and dengue prevention and control strategies in endemic areas.
在校学生是让社区了解并提高对疟疾和登革热等季节性疾病预防意识的一种途径。本研究旨在确定以学校为基础的教育干预措施对高中学生预防和控制疟疾及登革热知识的影响。
本干预前后对照研究于2021年9月至12月在金奈北部第四区的三所高中进行。共有284名年龄在13 - 17岁的学生参与了研究。以学校为基础的教育干预通过PowerPoint辅助讲座、参与式小组活动以及展示蚊虫幼虫及其防治方法来实施。使用McNemar检验分析干预措施作为知识水平变化的影响，p值<0.05。
教育干预使学生对疟疾症状的了解有所改善，如发热（从43.7%提高到76.1%；p<0.001）、寒战（从45.1%提高到82.4%；p<0.001）和头痛（从46.1%提高到86.6%；p<0.001），并且对蚊虫叮咬是登革热传播原因的认识有所增强（从41.9%提高到92.2%；p<0.001）。同样，干预后学生对室内（从11.9%提高到67.9%；p<0.001）和室外（从10.9%提高到69.7%；p<0.001）媒介蚊虫繁殖地识别的知识以及蚊帐使用的知识也有所增加（从21.5%提高到76.1%；p<0.001）。
以学校为基础的教育干预对提高在校儿童预防和控制疟疾及登革热的知识有显著影响。让在校儿童参与可以加强流行地区现有的疟疾和登革热预防控制策略。
