title: Evaluating a school-based trachoma curriculum in Tanzania.
abstract: Trachoma remains a public health problem in a number of sub-Saharan Africa countries; behavioral change and environmental improvements are cornerstones of prevention efforts. Evidence of successful health education are few in Africa. Health education efforts through primary schools have recently been developed and adopted in Tanzania. We evaluated changes from 2004 to 2005 in knowledge and reported behavioral change as well as nasal and ocular discharge and clean faces in selected schools in central Tanzania. This was a mixed-methods study involving both schoolchildren and school teachers. We found a significant reduction in nasal discharge (from 4.5% to 0.5%) and dirty faces (from 3.6% to 0.9%) and improvements in some knowledge- and behavior-related indices by primary schoolchildren in the intervention villages. The teachers viewed the trachoma curriculum positively but reported that the lack of water at the schools limited application of the health education messages. The disparity between health education messages and environmental capacities for implementing these messages (no wells at the schools and minimal latrine facilities at the schools and homes) limited usefulness of the curriculum.
authors.affiliation: Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology, Tumaini University/KCMC, Moshi, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lewallen
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Massae
authors.forename: Manisha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tharaney
authors.forename: Margareth
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Somba
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geneau
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macarthur
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Courtright
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003479:Curriculum; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D012572:School Health Services; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014141:Trachoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*