A School-Based Intervention for Arboviruses in Northeastern Brazil (ZikaMob)

Abstract

Background: The engagement of the population in preventive actions is one of the main objectives of public policies related to vector control, considering that most of the breeding sites are located inside households. Methods: In this school-based intervention study, sponsored by the British Council Newton Fund as part of a wider research project (ZikaMob), a self-reported questionnaire was used in a pre-post intervention methodology to assess environmental risk factors, sociodemographic variables and to measure attitudes and behaviours. In all, 883 high school students and teachers from the city of Campina Grande, in the state of Paraiba, northeastern Brazil, participated. The intervention consisted of a competition between schools to comply with preventive actions with content production for social networks, and the monitoring was performed through the Zikamob software, developed by the group, over a period of three months. Results: Of the 883 survey participants, 690 were students ranging in age from 14 to 41 years, with an average of 17 ± 2 years; and 193 were teachers from 22 to 64 years old, averaging 38 ± 9 years. The analysis of data shows that significant differences in most of the target behaviours were apparent after the intervention, with an increase of about 10% in the performance of inspection actions; a 7% greater separation of recyclables and a 40% increase in screening of windows among students. Students showed lower fear of, and a lower self-perception of the risk of, acquiring arboviruses than teachers on average. Conclusions: The use of a virtual platform adapted for mobile devices allowed for more effective teaching about arboviruses and their prevention, for better organization against their spread, and for a greater performance of synchronous preventive actions involving students from different schools. This is an innovative strategy with potential to be replicated in any location that has an internet network and can involve unlimited number of participants. Funding Statement: This study was financed in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior – Brasil (CAPES) (Finance Code 001), Universidade Estadual da Paraiba (UEPB), Fundacao de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado da Paraiba (FAPESQ) (Grant 02/2017), British Council Newton Fund Institutional Links (Grant 274560199). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: TThis research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Paraiba State University (UEPB) under protocol CAAE 67429517.5.0000.5187 and was in accordance with the principles of Resolution 466/12 of the Brazilian National Health Council.