Key Findings
Researchers conducted the “Rabies Edutainment 4 Kids” campaign in rural Sri Lanka. One group of students received both a leaflet and lectures on rabies, while another group received only the leaflet.
Both groups of students demonstrated improved understanding of rabies after the campaign. However, the group that received both a leaflet and lectures showed more significant progress.
Sinhala-speaking students outperformed Tamil-speaking students, who tend to live in more rural areas. These students had limited access to health education resources due to poverty and remoteness.
Summary
Children are at a heightened risk of rabies infection from dog bites, with over 20% of animal bite victims and nearly 28% of human rabies cases in Sri Lanka being under 20. Most of these bites occur within the home. While dog population management programs are important, raising community awareness, especially among vulnerable groups, is a cost-effective preventive measure. Education initiatives, like the successful school-based rabies campaigns in the Philippines, can be highly effective but require adaptation to local contexts, particularly in multi-ethnic countries like Sri Lanka. Despite some awareness programs by NGOs, more systematic and sustainable efforts are needed.
The research, “Outcomes of a school-based intervention on rabies prevention among school children in rural Sri Lanka”, aimed to evaluate the impact of an educational campaign called “Rabies Edutainment 4 Kids”.
Training Programme and Questionnaire
The “Rabies Edutainment 4 Kids” campaign was conducted from January to March 2009 in the rural, tea-plantation region of Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. This area, with an estimated population of 755,000 in 2009, had both Sinhala- and Tamil-speaking communities.
The study targeted grade five pupils in six public primary schools, four Sinhala-speaking and two Tamil-speaking. Three schools served as the study group, receiving both educational lectures and a rabies prevention leaflet. The remaining three schools served as the control group, receiving only the leaflet. The Tamil-speaking schools were located in more remote mountainous areas, where many parents worked in tea plantations. A total of 125 pupils participated.
The campaign consisted of three phases:
- Pre-implementation: Teachers received training on rabies and developed educational materials in Sinhala and Tamil.
- Implementation: Pupils completed a KAP survey twice, four weeks apart. The study group received lectures and lesson plans.
- Post-implementation: A poster and photo contest was held to reinforce learning and encourage responsible pet ownership.
Results
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Rabies (Pre-Campaign Test)
The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of rabies among 125 pupils before and after the campaign. Initially, most pupils knew to clean wounds after animal exposure (61.6%) and understood the fatal nature of rabies (51.2%), but fewer would report bites or scratches to adults (16%). While dogs (74.4%) and cats (58.4%) were correctly identified as the main rabies carriers, there was confusion about snakes, with nearly half believing they could transmit rabies.
Overall, 41.7% of pre-campaign responses were correct, with no significant differences between the study and control groups. However, Sinhala-speaking pupils outperformed Tamil-speaking pupils (50.8% vs 34.0%), and dog owners demonstrated more knowledge than non-dog owners (46.5% vs 38.7%).
Impact of Campaign
After the campaign, both the study and control groups showed significant improvements in rabies knowledge and attitudes. However, the study group, which received both lectures and a leaflet, experienced a more substantial increase in knowledge (30.9%) compared to the control group (8.6%). Topics such as rabies being fatal and caused by a virus saw particularly significant improvements in the study group. Sinhala-speaking pupils also showed greater improvement than Tamil-speaking pupils (42.0% vs 22.0%).
The study revealed socio-cultural and geographic disparities affecting Tamil-speaking pupils in rural, tea-plantation areas. These pupils had limited access to health education resources due to poverty and remoteness. To ensure equitable access, future educational campaigns should consider ethnic, religious, linguistic, and socioeconomic differences. Given its low cost and time requirements, similar campaigns to “Rabies Edutainment 4 Kids” could be practical in resource-limited settings, such as rural areas where 80% of Sri Lanka’s population resides.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Rabies / Education
Year of Publication:
2014
External Link:
Koji Kanda, Yoshi Obayashi, Ananda Jayasinghe, G.S.P. de S. Gunawardena, N.Y. Delpitiya, N.G.W. Priyadarshani, Chandika D. Gamage, Asuna Arai, Hiko Tamashiro, Outcomes of a school-based intervention on rabies prevention among school children in rural Sri Lanka, International Health, Volume 7, Issue 5, September 2015, Pages 348–353,
https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihu098