Abstract
BackgroundIn Kenya, the National School-Based Deworming Programme (NSBDP) for soil-transmitted helminthes and schistosomiasis in prioritized areas has been going on since the year 2012. By the year 2013 over 6 million School Age Children (SAC) had been treated. A community sensitization supplement containing key messages and answers to frequently asked questions was developed as a guiding tool. Awareness creation methods used include county sensitization meetings, stakeholder forums, town criers and posters. To assess the local stakeholders’ perceptions of community sensitization for programme implementation, a qualitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in four-sub-counties of coastal region.MethodsIn-depth interviews (IDIs) were administered to 40 purposively selected opinion leaders so as to explore their perceptions of awareness creation sources, adequacy of information given, length of period of awareness creation and period between which information is given and drugs are administered. Separate IDIs were administered to pre-school teachers (41), community health extension workers (34) and primary school teachers (38). To elicit more information, 20 focus group discussions (FGDs) categorized by gender and age were conducted among parents of school-age children. Data was audio recorded, transcribed, coded and analyzed manually by study themes.ResultsThe most commonly reported source of information was school pupils. Due to low literacy levels, use of posters was regarded as ineffective and religious institutions, town criers and vernacular radio stations considered more effective. The information given during programme implementation was considered inadequate and use of complementary methods to reach all targeted children including the non-enrolled, and relay adequate information reported as important. Use of school and chief’s meetings with health personnel being present was mentioned as a useful method that would allow for interaction with participants indicating that they did not understand why adults were not being treated. Repeated awareness creation before deworming day to serve as a reminder and to reach those missing initial messages was also mentioned as important. Furthermore, the awareness creation period needed to be extended as 85% of the participants indicated that they learnt of deworming a day before it took place or after their children had received the drugs.ConclusionAwareness creation is a key factor in the success of NSBDP implementation. For programme sustainability, preferences of local stakeholders need to be considered as control of worms can only be achieved through an integrated approach of deworming, health education and use of safe water and sanitation facilities which require collaboration with local stakeholders.
Highlights
In Kenya, the National School-Based Deworming Programme (NSBDP) for soil-transmitted helminthes and schistosomiasis in prioritized areas has been going on since the year 2012
The results presented in this paper are part of a larger study entitled “Evaluating Different Drug Delivery Approaches for Treatment of soil-transmitted helminthes (STHs) among Pre-School Age Children during the National School-Based Deworming Programme of Kenya” which was conducted after annual treatment of the year 2014
Background characteristics of the study participants A total of 34 Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), 41pre-school teachers, 38 primary school teachers, and 40 opinion leaders participated in the separate in-depth interviews and a total of 20 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted amongst the community groups who are parents of school-age children stratified by age and sex
Summary
In Kenya, the National School-Based Deworming Programme (NSBDP) for soil-transmitted helminthes and schistosomiasis in prioritized areas has been going on since the year 2012. Kenya like many other African Countries [2] is implementing a national treatment programme for control of soil-transmitted helminthes (STHs), spp. Community sensitization to raise awareness about the programme and the importance of deworming, to maximize deworming uptake among the targeted population and to manage risks in case of adverse events or negative publicity is cascaded from National to school level. The strategies used to create awareness include the Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) who are charged with sensitizing the community members about cause, prevention and treatment of worm infestation, conduct mobilization before deworming day to maximize uptake. Regional Stakeholder Forums are used with an aim of engaging external institutions not directly involved in the programme but which can play a key role in helping sensitize and mobilize children as well as in building a network of partners to maximize opportunities for collaboration and support
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