Buddhist Monks, Health Education, Malaria, Monastery-based, Myanmar, Preventive Practice
Conditions
Brief summary
Malaria is still a leading public health concern in Myanmar. However, people living in rural areas usually showed poor prevention practice despite residing in malaria hotspots. The majority in Myanmar are Buddhists who frequently visit the monastery and receive the speech delivered by the monks. In a malaria high burden township of the Sagaing Region from northern Myanmar, current study will first explore the difference in malaria preventive practices among people residing in different malaria-endemic villages through a mixed-methods approach. Next, this research will address the knowledge gaps by a monastery-based health education delivered by trained Buddhist monks using standardized health messages instruction for six consecutive months between August 2022 to January 2023. To test whether the intervention could balance those gaps among different groups, quantitative data of baseline, 3-month, and 6-month will be compared using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, T-test or repeated ANOVA, and the Difference-In-Differences (DID) analysis, as applicable.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMonastery-based health education by Buddhist monks
During the three-month intervention from July to September 2022, a total of 18 health education sessions were conducted across the three intervention villages, with an average of 50 attendees per session, totaling 921 attendees across all sessions.
Sponsors
Chulalongkorn University
Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar
Myanmar Health Network Organization
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
For educational intervention; - voluntary participation For questionnaire surveys; * male or female household leaders or immediate family members * aged \>18 years who had resided in the study villages for more than one year
Exclusion criteria
For questionnaire surveys; \- Individuals who were unable to communicate effectively or were under the influence of narcotics, including alcohol
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Malaria knowledge and preventive practices | Pre intervention (July 2022), 3-month post-intervention (Dec 2022) and 6-month post-intervention (Mar 2023) | To assess pre-existing malaria knowledge and preventive practices among both intervention and control groups, pre-intervention surveys were conducted. Subsequently, three- and six-month post-intervention surveys were conducted to evaluate changes following the intervention. A validated questionnaire translated from English to Burmese was used. The questionnaire comprised three sections: demographic information of the respondents, knowledge of malaria and preventive practices. Each section had multiple small questions, and each correct answer was scored. The resultant scores were aggregated, wherein every participant had the potential to accrue a maximum of ten points pertaining to the attribution of malaria causation, symptoms of malaria, and adoption of personal preventative measures against malaria. The participants were eligible to secure eight points in the domain of malaria diagnosis and treatment, alongside twelve scores for the use of LLINs. |
Countries
Burma
Outcome results
None listed