Education Intervention to Reduce Helminth Infections and Absenteeism in Grade 5 School-children

Effectiveness of a Post-deworming Education Intervention to Reduce Soil-transmitted Helminth Infections and Absenteeism in Grade 5 School-children in a Community of Extreme Poverty, Peruvian Amazon

To efficiently control soil-transmitted helminths (Ascaris, Trichuris, and hookworm), WHO, PAHO, and others recommend the inclusion of an education strategy in school-based deworming programs. However, the effectiveness of such a strategy on the rate of STH re-infection and on education indicators, such as absenteeism, remains to be fully understood. The proposed research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a post-deworming education intervention targeted to Grade 5 school children enrolled in Belén's schools using a cluster-randomized trial design. Results will be used to inform school-based deworming programs in Peru and other similar endemic areas in Latin America and, indeed, around the world.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Girls and boys enrolled in Grade 5 in eligible schools located in the Belén district of Iquitos, Peru. Eligible schools have a minimum of 10 boys and 10 girls enrolled in grade 5.
• Informed written consent obtained from the parents or legal guardian of the child.
• Verbal assent from child.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Parents (or guardians) refusing participation of their child.
• Child who refuses to participate.