Health Education by Buddhist Monks to Promote Malaria Knowledge and Preventive Practices in Rural Myanmar

NCT06386367 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: MHNO-001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 501
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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.

Conditions

Buddhist Monks; Health Education; Malaria; Monastery-based; Myanmar; Preventive Practice

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Malaria knowledge and preventive practices

  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.

  Pre intervention (July 2022), 3-month post-intervention (Dec 2022) and 6-month post-intervention (Mar 2023)

Study Arms (2)

Monastery-based health education intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

The education sessions were conducted in Burmese by trained monks. They followed the normal teachings of the Buddhist doctrine and typically lasted 30-40 minutes. Our research utilized Burmese as the medium for delivering health messages, and all accompanying materials were meticulously prepared in Burmese. The study team observed at least one to two education sessions in each study village.

Behavioral: Monastery-based health education by Buddhist monks

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group just received routine malaria control services such as diagnostic, treatment and bed net distribution.

Interventions

Monastery-based health education by Buddhist monks BEHAVIORAL

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.

Monastery-based health education intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• For questionnaire surveys;
• \- Individuals who were unable to communicate effectively or were under the influence of narcotics, including alcohol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Myanmar Health Network Organization: lead
• Chulalongkorn University: collaborator
• Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Myanmar Health Network Organization

Yangon, 11091, Burma

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Health Education; Malaria

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Adherence Interventions; Medication Adherence; Patient Compliance; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior; Behavior; Protozoan Infections; Parasitic Diseases; Infections; Mosquito-Borne Diseases; Vector Borne Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 23, 2024
• First Posted: April 26, 2024
• Study Start: July 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2023
• Study Completion: March 30, 2024
• Last Updated: April 29, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Locations

BU (1)