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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03607084

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

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

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Key information

Conditions

Acute Disease Disease Attributes Morbidity Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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.

Treatment and study plan

School Health Worker Program

Behavioral

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 outcomes

  1. Change in prevalence of acute disease

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, and one-year follow-up

    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 outcomes

  1. Change in weight

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, and one-year follow-up

    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.

  2. Change in height

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, and one-year follow-up

    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.

  3. Change in health knowledge

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, and one-year follow-up

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

  4. Change in school attendance

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, and one-year follow-up

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

  5. Change in academic performance

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, and one-year follow-up

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

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

Other

Collaborators

  • Healthy Kids/Brighter Future

Registry information

Official study title

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

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Jul 31, 2018
Registry last updated
Jul 31, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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