NCT03607084

School-based Health Programs on Children's Wellbeing in Lusaka, Zambia

Evaluating the Impact of School-based Health Programs on Children's Well-being and Academic Performance

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 614 (actual)
• Sponsor: Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study evaluates the impact of a new and comprehensive school-based health program implemented in Lusaka, Zambia.

Detailed description

While school-aged children in low- and middle-income countries remain highly exposed to acute infections, programs targeting this age group remain limited in scale and scope. In this study, we evaluate the impact of a new and comprehensive primary school-based health intervention program on student health outcomes and academic performance in Lusaka, Zambia. The intervention involved the training of teachers to become school health workers and the provision of vitamin A supplementation and deworming medication on a bi-annual basis. Teachers in intervention schools were trained to deliver health lessons and to refer sick students to care. This study is designed as a prospective matched control study. Students from the seven intervention schools are matched with students from control schools.

Conditions

• Acute Disease
• Morbidity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	School Health Worker Program	The intervention trains selected teachers to deliver health lessons to students, perform basic first aid, recognize common illnesses, refer student to skilled medical attention when needed. The intervention provides schools with basic medical supplies including pain relief medication, thermometers, bandages, antiseptics, and oral rehydration solution. Vitamin A supplementation and presumptive deworming medication are administered to students during biannual health screenings.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-06-17
• Primary completion: 2016-07-28
• Completion: 2016-07-28
• First posted: 2018-07-31
• Last updated: 2018-07-31