Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and the Incidence and Prevalence of Children in Five Public Primary Schools in N'Zerekore, Guinea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alseny Bah ◽  
Alhassanel Diallo ◽  
Alhassane Bah ◽  
Feihu Li
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Health ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Behavioral Determinants ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
School Health Education ◽  
Out Of School

Abstract Background: In Guinea, the incidence and prevalence of children in public primary schools to common disease, e.g., diarrhoeal, malaria, fever, etc. remained pretty high mainly because of the poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions and practices. We aimed to evaluate the impacts of WASH conditions in and out of school, health education programs, and the behavioral determinants of pupils on the incidence and prevalence of children. Methods: A questionnaire was designed to collect necessary information on current hygiene conditions of all the studied primary schools, the WASH practices in and out of schools, and the incidence and prevalence of these pupils. The data were collected via a survey of the pupils (n = 1048) from five public primary schools in the center of the city of N’Zerekore, Guinea between December 2018 and May 2019. Using a social survey (questionnaire survey), face-to-face interviews with the headmasters and the teachers of several selected schools, data collection was based on students' knowledge of hygiene practices associated with WASH, hand washing situations in and out of school.Results: It reveals that the WASH conditions in all five schools are inadequate. The water access and quality in four schools over all the five schools are greatly limited by the boreholes or unprotected dug wells. The scarcity of essential hygiene kits, especially in the latrines, disinclined the pupils to use the toilets in schools. The WASH and health educations are also invalid in all schools, and therefore the pupils were ineffectively influenced to change their unhealthy WASH behaviors. Our data indicated that 100% (n = 1048) of pupils don’t wash their hands with soap after defecation in school, and over 87.9% (n = 922) of students don’t wash hands before eating. All the above determinants result in a high incidence and prevalence of children among these pupils, including malaria, typhoid, diarrhea, etc.Conclusion: To improve the WASH conditions and to change the pupils’ unhealthy behaviors in the long term, some effective interventions including the provision of clean water and sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, as well as widespread and effective health education should be implemented.

Pedometers and participatory school-based health education – an exploratory study

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 487-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Louisa Bruselius-Jensen ◽  
Dina Danielsen ◽  
Ane Kirstine Viller Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
School Health ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Health Education ◽  
New Perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how pedometers (simple gadgets that count steps) can be used as tools in participatory health education to enhance primary school children's insights into, and abilities to reflect on, physical activity in their daily life. The paper focuses on how using pedometers fosters participation and enhances reflection concerning physical activity. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on findings from an exploratory project with sixth-grade classes (12-13 years) in four Danish primary schools. The approach is called Imove. In Imove, pupils use pedometers to study their own patterns of physical activity, transform their data into statistics, and use the statistical representation to reflect on how physical activity is integrated into everyday life patterns, and how different activities constitute an active life. Findings – The paper concludes that pedometers support pupils’ participation in studying their own health practices, and the step data provide new insights into, and encourage pupils to reflect on, the way physical activity is formed into everyday patterns. Research limitations/implications – The study is an exploratory one with four participating school classes. The findings need to be further explored by employing similar methodology in studies with more participants. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that pedometers support pupils’ genuine participation in health educational processes. Practical implications – The findings identify simple measuring technologies, such as pedometers, as potent assets in health education learning processes and call for creative thinking in developing health promotion programmes for young people. Originality/value – Measuring technologies play an increasingly critical role in health research, as well as in individual health regulating practices. This paper contributes with a new perspective by demonstrating the educational possibilities of applying pedometers in participatory school health education.

scholarly journals Local Perceptions of an Integrated School Health and Nutrition Programme involving WASH, school feeding and deworming in Southwest Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Keating ◽  
Gemechu Tadesse ◽  
Nigussie Geletu Dejene ◽  
Elodie Yard ◽  
Laura Jane Appleby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Health ◽  
External Input ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
School Feeding ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Nutrition Programme

Introduction. The ‘Enhanced School Health Initiative’ (ESHI) targeted 30 primary schools in southern Ethiopia and aimed to improve the health and educational outcomes of school children through an integrated package of school feeding, deworming and the provision of improved water sanitation and hygiene (WASH). This study investigated parental perceptions of this integrated school health and nutrition programme. Methods. The data was collected through group interviews with parents of children at schools targeted by the programme. Ten schools were purposively selected to represent geographical diversity. A team of two trained facilitators led the group interview in each school. All interviews were conducted in local dialects and then directly translated into English and transcribed. The transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings are structured around key themes identified from the discussions.Results and Discussion. Three main themes are identified from the interviews. The first relates to the perceptions of equity and opportunity generated for the children and the parents as a result of the programme. The second theme identifies the dissemination of learning throughout the community reported by parents. This includes the use of children as messengers, particularly for good hygiene practices and importance of deworming. The final theme explores concerns about ownership and sustainability of the programme within the communities. When probed on the topic of sustainability, parents raised conflicts surrounding ownership, and their ability to sustain the programme without further external input. Conclusions. The findings highlight the parent’s perceptions of this integrated school health and nutrition programme, and the multiple mechanisms through which it has an impact on the wider community. They also highlight what aspects of the programme are felt to be sustainable without further input, particularly behaviour change.

Primary School Health Education: A Practical Project for a Small Hospital Community Health Department

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-51
Author(s):  
Evelyn Rose Mary ◽  
S Velusamy ◽  
U Meena ◽  
L Lobithas
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
School Health ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Small Hospital ◽  
Practical Project ◽  
School Health Education

A pilot project in a rural district of Tamil Nadu, India in which health is taught as a subject in primary schools by hospital-based staff is described.

scholarly journals Effect of a health education intervention on intestinal parasitic infections in Bolivian children

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Lastrucci ◽  
M Spinicci ◽  
F Macchioni ◽  
S Gabrielli ◽  
A L Villagran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Education Intervention ◽  
Intestinal Parasitic Infections ◽  
School Year ◽  
School Based ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Health Education Intervention ◽  
Key Events

Abstract Backgrounds Intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) are a major health issue for children of low- and middle-income countries. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices are crucial for preventing IPI. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based health education intervention on handwashing behavior and IPI prevalence in children Methods This is a randomized intervention trial in 8 primary schools in rural communities over the course of 3 school years; preliminary results from the first two years of the trial are here presented. Schools were randomly selected and assigned in a 1:1 ratio to intervention or control (no intervention) groups. For each school year, the intervention included 14 school-based educational sessions and 2 skit events, involving children aged 8-12 years. Knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire and handwashing at key events was assessed at the beginning and end of each school year. IPI prevalence was assessed with repeated cross-sectional parasitology surveys 12 months apart, involving a minimum of 50 children for each school Results At baseline, no significant differences between intervention and control schools were present in the proportion of children who washed their hands at key events (7.2% vs 9.3%, p = 0.28), in IPI (79.4% vs 75.3%, p = 0.3) and multiple parasitic infections (MPI) prevalences (47.6 vs. 38.6; p = 0.051). At the end of the second year, the percentage of children who washed their hands at key events was significantly higher in the intervention schools (75.4% vs 12.1%, p < 0.001), and the prevalence of IPI and MPI in the intervention schools were respectively about 25% and 15% lower than in the control schools (respectively, 42.9% vs 67.8%, p < 0.001; 16.1% vs 31.6%, p < 0.001) Conclusions A school-based health education intervention could achieve significant changes in hand-washing behaviors and reduction in the prevalence of IPI in children. The third year survey results are needed to confirm these findings Key messages An health education intervention on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices can reduce the risk of IPI infection in children. An health education intervention on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices could be configured as a sustainable long-term approach to intestinal parasitic infections control in children.

Health education for deaf Romanian children: parents’ opinions

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 341-349
Author(s):  
Laura Ionescu ◽  
Lacramioara Ursache ◽  
Adelina Nicolae ◽  
Adriana Conea ◽  
Cristian Potora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
School Health ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Smoking Prevention ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North West ◽  
School Based ◽  
School Health Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on parents of children with hearing disabilities from Romania and has three objectives. First, it assesses their characteristics regarding use of communication technology. Second, it investigates their opinions regarding the importance of school-based education for healthy lifestyle promotion among their children. Third, it evaluates the availability for their involvement in educational activities using face-to-face approach and communication technology dedicated to helping parents to promote healthy lifestyle among their children, as well as factors which influence this availability. Design/methodology/approach The study was performed in October–November 2015 in two schools deserving children with hearing disabilities from North-West part of Romania. Anonymous questionnaire were filled in by 182 parents. Findings The majority of parents recognize the importance of school-based health education and more than 77 per cent totally agree that it should include issues regarding healthy nutrition, promotion of physical activity and smoking prevention. In total, 80.2 per cent of the parents declared that they are interested to participate in educational activities organized periodically at school and 66.5 per cent declared their interest in educational activities developed through communication technology in order to help them to stimulate the adoption of healthy lifestyle among their children. The availability was influenced by residence, educational level, understanding the importance of parents’ involvement, characteristics regarding the use of communication technology. Originality/value This represents the first study from Romania investigating the opinions and availability for their involvement with regard to school health education among parents of children with hearing deficiencies. The results have several implications for health education among children with hearing deficiencies and their parents.

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