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

Primary Purpose

Acute Disease, Morbidity

Status

Completed

Phase

Not Applicable

Locations

Study Type

Interventional

Intervention

School Health Worker Program

About this trial

This is an interventional prevention trial for Acute Disease focused on measuring school-aged children, school-based health program, Zambia, child and adolescent health

Eligibility Criteria

undefined - undefined (Child, Adult, Older Adult)All SexesAccepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

Children attending one of the 14 schools in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

Children not attending one of the 14 schools in the study.

Sites / Locations

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm 2

Arm Type

Experimental

No Intervention

Arm Label

Intervention

Control

Arm Description

The intervention group receives a school health program that has two components: the training of selected teachers to become school Health Workers and bi-annual health screenings of all students.

The control group receives regular school programming.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Change in prevalence of acute disease

Students report on the presence of 14 systemic, genitourinary, respiratory, and gastrointestinal illnesses in the past two week. Acute illnesses are combined into a summary index of morbidity.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Change in weight

Calculate body mass index (BMI)-for-age z-scores using the World Health Organization AnthroPlus Software macro for Stata. Thinness and overweightness are defined respectively as: BMI-for-age below -2 SD and as BMI-for-age above 1 standard deviation.

Change in height

Calculate standardized height-for-age (HAZ) z-scores using the World Health Organization AnthroPlus Software macro for Stata. Stunting was defined as HAZ below -2 standard deviation.

Change in health knowledge

Calculate the percentage of correct answers on 11-question quiz on various health topics.

Change in school attendance

Calculate percentage of students who missed one or more days from school in the past two weeks.

Change in academic performance

Students report on their own school performance and academic performance is verified by term marks.

Full Information

NCT ID

NCT03607084

First Posted

July 11, 2018

Last Updated

July 30, 2018

Sponsor

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

Collaborators

Healthy Kids/Brighter Future

1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number

NCT03607084

Brief Title

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

Official Title

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

Study Type

Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date

July 2018

Overall Recruitment Status

Completed

Study Start Date

June 17, 2015 (Actual)

Primary Completion Date

July 28, 2016 (Actual)

Study Completion Date

July 28, 2016 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title

Principal Investigator

Name of the Sponsor

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

Collaborators

Healthy Kids/Brighter Future

4. Oversight

Data Monitoring Committee

5. Study Description

Brief 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.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study

Acute Disease, Morbidity

Keywords

school-aged children, school-based health program, Zambia, child and adolescent health

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose

Prevention

Study Phase

Not Applicable

Interventional Study Model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

None (Open Label)

Allocation

Non-Randomized

Enrollment

614 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title

Intervention

Arm Type

Experimental

Arm Description

The intervention group receives a school health program that has two components: the training of selected teachers to become school Health Workers and bi-annual health screenings of all students.

Arm Title

Control

Arm Type

No Intervention

Arm Description

The control group receives regular school programming.

Intervention Type

Behavioral

Intervention Name(s)

School Health Worker Program

Intervention Description

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.

Primary Outcome Measure Information:

Title

Change in prevalence of acute disease

Description

Students report on the presence of 14 systemic, genitourinary, respiratory, and gastrointestinal illnesses in the past two week. Acute illnesses are combined into a summary index of morbidity.

Time Frame