ABSTRACT
Health education and health promotion are important measures for comprehensive control of schistosomiasis in China,which can improve the compliance rate of residents involved in schistosomiasis control activities,reduce the water con-tact behavior of the target population,thus avoiding or decreasing the infection of schistosome in endemic areas.In recent years, the comprehensive control of schistosomiasis in China has achieved remarkable results.China has reached the goal of transmis-sion control and is moving toward the transmission interruption or even elimination of schistosomiasis.This article analyzes the role of health education and health promotion in schistosomiasis control programme and the current challenges.Meanwhile,sug-gestions are also put forward on how to conduct health education and health promotionin the stage of schistosomiasis elimination.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study an intervention model of "schools without infected students with schistosoma japonica", to control and prevent students from schistosoma infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twelve primary schools of four heavy endemic counties (districts) with schistosomiasis in the Poyang Lake areas were selected as the study fields, of which, ten schools were the experimental groups, and the other two schools were the control groups by cluster random sampling. All enrolment students were the target population. The baseline survey was carried out in 2005, and an intervention model, "information dissemination + behavior participation + behavior encouragement", was applied in the experiment groups in 2006 - 2008, then the effect of intervention was assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Before intervention (2005), the anti-schistosomiasis knowledge awareness rate of experimental and control groups were 14.75% (324/2196) and 16.58% (91/549), and the different was not significant (χ(2) = 1.14, P > 0.05); the rate of accurate attitude of anti-schistosomiasis were 14.71% (323/2196) and 11.84% (65/549) in experimental and control groups, and the difference was not significant (χ(2) = 2.98, P > 0.05); the rate of contacting infected water were 15.44% (18 988/122 976) and 15.03% (4622/30 744) in experimental and control group and the difference was not significant (χ(2) = 3.13, P > 0.05); and the infection rate of schistosomiasis of experiment control groups were 9.65% (212/2196) and 10.56% (58/549), the difference was not significant (χ(2) = 0.41, P > 0.05). After one year intervention (2006), the anti-schistosomiasis knowledge awareness rate of experimental and control groups were 97.79% (2032/2078) and 18.11% (98/541), and the different was significant (χ(2) = 1794.31, P < 0.01); the rate of accurate attitude of anti-schistosomiasis were 99.09% (2059/2078) and 13.49% (73/541) in experimental and control group, and the difference was significant (χ(2) = 2077.45, P < 0.01). After 1 - 3 years intervention (2006 - 2008), there were no any contactors with infected water and infectors with schistosome in students of the experiment group in successive 3 years. While in the control group of the same period, the rate contacting infected water were 16.12% (4884/30 296), 11.11% (3079/27 720) and 12.25% (3451/28 168); the infection rate of schistosomiasis were 8.87% (48/541), 7.47% (37/495) and 7.95% (40/503), respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The intervention model of health promotion, "information dissemination + behavior participation + behavior encouragement", can effectively control and prevent students from infecting schistosoma japonica in heavy endemic areas with schistosomiasis.</p>