Social Media as an Information, Education and Communication Tool for Rabies Prevention: An Interventional Study

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
Background: Rabies is a fatal disease that can be avoided by treating animal bites promptly. Hence, post-exposure prophylaxis is critical. As a result, the National Rabies Control Program was approved under the 12th five-year plan in India. One of its strategies is to engage in Information, Education and Communication activities. Social media provides an opportunity for the quick and easy dissemination of research but is constrained by a lack of peer review and the risk of misinterpretation. The efficacy of a novel social media-based knowledge dissemination strategy for rabies prevention was tested in this study. Methods: An experimental study design was followed, wherein 144 preclinical medical students of Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, India were included in each control and test group. The test group was administered the intervention, which exposed the participants to health education material via social media across a span of 30 days. Participants' knowledge, attitude and practices were observed before and after the study duration.

Official Title
-----------------
Social Media as an Information, Education and Communication Tool for Rabies Prevention: An Interventional Study

Conditions
-----------------
Rabies, Health Education, Public Health, Preventive Health Services

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Other: Rabies Information Education and Communication Material


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: adult individuals who have a smartphone, internet access and are WhatsApp users preclinical medical students, i.e., Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) 1st and 2nd professional year students Exclusion Criteria: individuals who themselves have been a dog bite or rabies victim individuals who have a dog bite or rabies victim in the household individuals who developed the above criteria during the study duration were excluded from the data analysis
Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control Group<br>The participants in this study arm were administered no intervention. | |
| Experimental: Test Group<br>The participants in this arm were administered the following intervention: The test group was administered the rabies IEC material available on the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) website (https://ncdc.gov.in/index1.php?page=1&ipp=All&lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=502&lid=428) in English and Hindi languages using a WhatsApp broadcast every 3 days for 30 days, in a cyclical manner. This material includes brochures, posters, short films, and informative documents designed to educate the general public about rabies prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis practices. Text messages, encouraging the participants to go through the material, were also a part of this intervention. | Other: Rabies Information Education and Communication Material<br>* The test group was administered the rabies IEC material available on the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) website (https://ncdc.gov.in/index1.php?page=1&ipp=All&lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=502&lid=428) in English and Hindi languages using a WhatsApp broadcast every 3 days for 30 days, in a cyclical manner. This material includes brochures, posters, short films, and informative documents designed to educate the general public about rabies prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis practices. Text messages, encouraging the participants to go through the material, were also a part of this intervention.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| To measure the impact of a social media-based dissemination strategy on information dissemination and retention for rabies IEC material among preclinical medical students | The responses obtained through a KAP questionnaire were entered into an MS Excel file and analyzed using SPSS version 24. The responses were scored +1 for the correct answer, -1 for the incorrect answer, and 0 for the Don't know answer. Aggregated scores were categorized using Bloom's cut-off points for each of the 3 sections (knowledge, attitude, and practices): good, if the score was between 80 and 100%, moderate if the score was between 60 and 79%, and poor if the score was less than 60%. Means and percentages of responses were calculated for both test and control groups, before and after the intervention. The changes in responses for both groups were measured and compared. | 2 months |