Clinical trial NCT00463931: Using Community-Based Volunteers to Reach Non-Enrolled School Aged Children Through Community-Directed Treatment of Schistosomiasis in School-Aged Children in Rural Northern Ghana
Official title: Using Community-Based Volunteers to Reach Non-Enrolled School-Aged Children Through Community-Directed Treatment of Schistosomiasis in School-Aged Children in Rural Northern Ghana
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Schistosomiasis
Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis
Keywords: Schistosomiasis
Soiltransmitted helminthiasis
Community-based volunteer
School based treatment approach
Lead sponsor: DBL -Institute for Health Research and Development
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2007-04-20
Enrollment: 916
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 6
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Brief summary: Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminhtiasis occur throughout the developing world and are most prevalent in the poorest communitites. These worms have been linked to several nutritional and intellectual deficiencies in many endemic populations worldwide. Helminth control, though crucial has been neglected for varied reasons. Currently, interests towards the control of neglected diseases including schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths has been revived through many interventions including repeated chemotherapy to help improve public health outcomes and prevent long term morbidity. This will contribute to achieving several of the Millennium Development Goals at a favourable cost. A community-directed treatment of human schistosomiasis and STH in school-aged children in rural notrhern Ghana using praziquantel and albendazole is proposed. It is planned to test the hypothesis that community-based volunteers are non-inferior and more cost effective than rural school teachers at reaching school-aged children.

Detailed description: The primary objectives of the study are:

To compare coverage rate of community based volunteers and rural school teachers in the distribution of praziquantel and albendazole to scholl-aged children To determine the cost effectiveness of using community based volunteers to distribute praziquantel and albendazole to school-aged children in rural Ghana.

Study methods:

A list of all school-aged children (6-15 years) in the study area will be generated from the Navrongo Demographic Surveillance System database and registers produced and given to all school teachers and community based volunteers who will be responsible for the distribution of the antihelminithics. The school teachers and community based volunteers will provide the drugs to both enrolled and non-enrolled school-aged children. Percentage coverage of school-aged children will be the outcome measure and compated between the school teachers and the community based volunteers. Stool and urine samples will be collected from a representative sample (916) of the children for laboratory analysis before the administration of the drugs for baseline data. Sample collection and laboratory analysis will be repeated 6 and 12 months after the first round of chemotherapy.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Children between 6 and 15 years of age

Primary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Navrongo
country: Ghana
facility: The Navrongo Health Research Centre
Study officials:
affiliation: Navrongo Health Research Centre, Ghana
name: Francis Anto, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: