School-based Health Programs on Children's Wellbeing in Lusaka, Zambia

Evaluating the Impact of School-based Health Programs on Children's Well-being and Academic Performance

This study evaluates the impact of a new and comprehensive school-based health program implemented in Lusaka, Zambia.

While school-aged children in low- and middle-income countries remain highly exposed to acute infections, programs targeting this age group remain limited in scale and scope. In this study, we evaluate the impact of a new and comprehensive primary school-based health intervention program on student health outcomes and academic performance in Lusaka, Zambia. The intervention involved the training of teachers to become school health workers and the provision of vitamin A supplementation and deworming medication on a bi-annual basis. Teachers in intervention schools were trained to deliver health lessons and to refer sick students to care. This study is designed as a prospective matched control study. Students from the seven intervention schools are matched with students from control schools.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children attending one of the 14 schools in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children not attending one of the 14 schools in the study.