Table 3 Intervention package to improve hygiene literacy and practices among primary grade school children & their mothers
Serial Number | Interventions | Frequency | Use of strategies |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Capacity building of school community (master trainers) | ||
1.1 Teachers’ training/refresher sessions will be arranged to enhance hands on skills for educating children about improving personal and environmental hygiene | Once during the intervention phase and refresher sessions will be arranged as per need | Training sessions per school by using audio and visual aids | |
1.2 Pool of children with good leadership skills will be selected from the schools and will be trained in educating others on personal and environmental hygiene concepts | One time activity of selection of children | Classroom observations to identify children with good leadership skills | |
2. | Implementing behavior change communication strategies | ||
2.1 Children will be educated about the need for hygiene (personal and environmental hygiene). The sessions will be organized by teachers | Thrice in the entire duration | Use of posters and graphics in the local language | |
2.2 Awareness raising sessions for mothers will be conducted by teachers and health workers to enhance mothers’ practices for personal and environmental hygiene | Once every 2 weeks for 4 weeks | Pictorial presentations in the local language | |
3. | Reinforcing behavior change communication strategies | ||
3.1 Reinforcement of hygiene concepts to children through multiple strategies | Once every 2 weeks | Hygiene diary, hygiene games, and hygiene quiz | |
3.2 Role plays and awareness raising sessions by the children (senior students) to promote hygiene among school children | Once every 2 weeks | Role plays and theatre | |
4. | Improving physical environment at schools | ||
4.1 Environment will be made conducive through audio visual aids to foster adaption of hygiene habits among children | To be displayed at schools during the entire intervention phase | Cartoon characters demonstrating hygiene habits, and display of posters with hygiene messages | |
4.2 Improvement in school physical environment through ensuring the availability of garbage disposal bins, soap and water, functionality of handwashing facility, and engaging children to maintain cleanliness in school environment Note: Improvement in the physical environment of the selected schools will be undertaken in close collaboration with the district/ taluka education authorities and a local NGO | To be carried out and ensured in the entire intervention period | Dissemination of the findings from the pre-intervention phase to schools’ administration | |
5 | Enhancing the capacity of mothers | ||
5.1. Mothers of school children will be sensitized on hygiene aspects through group discussions | Thrice in the entire period | Health education flyers and posters to be used during the group discussion sessions at home/ school settings | |