Environmental Health Education in Schools as Strategy for Rodent Control: An Experience in a Shantytown of Buenos Aires, Argentina (original) (raw)
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Research Square (Research Square), 2023
Rodents have been reported to be associated with the transmission of major public health diseases as well as agricultural and economic losses. The lack of site-speci c and national standardised rodent surveillance in several disadvantaged communities has rendered interventions targeted towards rodent control as often ineffective. Here, by using the example from a study in The Bahamas, we present a unique experience in which, through multidisciplinary and community engagement, we simultaneously developed a standardised national surveillance protocol, and performed two parallel but integrated activities: 1) eight days of theoretical and practical training of selected participants; and 2) a three-month post-training pilot rodent surveillance in the urban community of Over-the-Hill, Nassau, The Bahamas. In order to account for cultural and environmental conditions in The Bahamas, we modi ed the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) exterior and interior rodent evaluation form and other instruments that have been previously validated for evaluating rodent infestation (tracking plates and snap trapping) to test and to reach a standardised site-speci c rodent surveillance protocol for The Bahamas. Our engagement with local communities pointed towards ownership problems, unapproved refuse storage, exposed garbage, sources of animal food, poor bulk wastes management and structural de ciencies as major factors fueling rodent proliferation in the study area. Accordingly, results from our pilot survey using a generalized linear model with a logistic link and binomially distributed error structure con rmed that these variables are signi cantly correlated with the rodent activities reported and monitored across the study area. Our successful experience could serve as a reference to encourage a standardised protocol for monitoring rodent activities in many disadvantaged urban settings of the Global South, while also aiding the holistic understanding of rodent proliferation. Through this case-study and pilot program, we advocate for the feasibility of developing sustainable rodent control interventions that can be acceptable for both local communities and public authorities, especially through the involvement of a multidisciplinary team of professionals and community members.
Journal of community medicine & health education, 2014
Science teachers from multiple K-12 schools (i.e., kindergarten-high school) were engaged in a two-day training addressing the key topics of integrated pest management practices and chemical use reduction. This training was provided to introduce teachers to these essential aspects of promoting a healthier home and a reduction in associated adverse health outcomes. Indoor exposures are of particular importance for the elderly and very young who spend the majority of their time at home. Early childhood education related to the proactive and intimate role humans play in shaping the health of their home is seen as important for sustainable and effective public health and community health actions. Innovatively, the training used newer formats of engagement called Liberating Structures (LS) to engage and excite teachers on these environmental health topics. This paper describes the environmental health knowledge of those thirty-five teachers through pre-and post-surveys delivered during the training to assess their ability and willingness to transfer this knowledge into the classroom. Also explored are curriculum areas for integration of these environmental and public health topics.
“Super Hunters” A Strategy to Promote Good Practices for the Control of Vector Borne Diseases in School Children of a Rural Community in Yucatan, Mexico, 2017
Introduction: The implementation of methods for prevention-control of diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti and other arthropod vectors should consider approaches involving urban and rural communities. A pending strategic component for integrated vector management is the inclusion of models for educational and health promotion interventions at schools v.gr. ludic strategies. Objective: To implement the strategy “Super Hunters” as part of an educational proposal with elementary school students about the vector Aedes aegypti and the transmission of vector-borne diseases to motivate favorable changes and good practices for health in a rural community. Material and methods: The intervention was carried out in Yaxunah, Yucatan, Mexico in October 2013. Theoretical-practical activities were developed. In the classroom, we provided information on the generalities of the biology-ecology of the Aedes aegypti vector, about its health importance, and activities for the prevention and control of the vector and the diseases. Teams called “Super hunters” were formed and they were given a kit with materials for the collection and identification of vectors. Lastly, an educational play was performed to reinforce knowledge learned by the participating children. Results: It was observed that providing information about the vector in a playful way and encouraging the active participation of children can be key to generate behavioral changes in them that allows them to carry out preventive work, replicable in their own houses, contributing to the elimination of vector breeding-sites in their community.
Veterinary World, 2021
Background and Aim: The "One Health" concept is a global strategy that recognizes that public health is related to animal health and the environment; however, the role of domestic animals and their involvement in the transmission of zoonoses is often underestimated. The aim of the study was to evaluate and improve the knowledge about zoonotic diseases of domestic animals in high school students from Medellín, Colombia. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental intra-subject study was carried out. This study was conducted with 11th-grade students from four schools in Medellín, Colombia. A structured multiple-choice questionnaire was used from March 2021 to May 2021. The research had two phases, first, "naive" knowledge and learning. Then, descriptive, association, and comparative analysis were carried out using absolute and relative frequencies, Pearson's Chi-square test, and MacNemar's test with a value of p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: A research poll from 315 students of four private schools found that feeding their pets with raw food and leftovers cooked for human consumption were common practices; the results also show a lack of knowledge of their pets' immunization deworming status. It was understood that when the students were able to identify at least two symptoms of zoonoses, one route of its' transmission and two preventive measures, we found that only 12.49% of the polled students had proper knowledge of the disease in domestic animals. After conducting an educational strategy, the findings show a general increase in knowledge, leading us to accept that the academic approach was adequate to statistically increase the recognition of symptoms, routes of transmission and preventive measures (p=0.00). Conclusion: The use of the theoretical lecture is effective to improve the understanding of the concept of transmission of diseases from animals to humans; in addition, the results show an increase of knowledge in high school students of the related symptoms, transmission routes, and preventive measures of zoonoses diseases in the region.
SN Applied Sciences, 2021
Rats are invasive pest species that commonly infest low-income urban environments. Their association with humans constitutes a threat of rodent-borne disease transmission. We evaluated the outcome of a chemical and sanitary intervention on rat sightings in seven low-income urban settlements of New Providence, the Bahamas. The intervention consisted of rodenticide application, education about environmental sanitation, and improvement in waste disposal. Rat sightings were systematically recorded by trained staff before and three months after the intervention. The intervention slightly decreased rat sightings, with an average of 2.7-fold with varied effectiveness across locations. Four out of seven locations (57%) registered a decrease in rat sightings. Our results suggest that social and environmental differences among communities may be responsible for the mixed efficacy observed in the current rodent management practice in urban communities of the Bahamas. However, a new set of control measures needs to be developed for areas where rodent decline was not observed. This study provides novel data on how rat population behaves post-intervention in a unique ecological setting like the Bahamas, presenting an informed judgment for their management, especially in the event of a natural disaster.
Environmental education in Oaxaca Mexico: Attitudes and schoolyard-based environmental inquiries
1999
This was a two-part study conducted in six schools on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the attitudes of children in rural and town schools towards the natural world, to gain an understanding of how teachers felt about taking their students outside of the classroom to conduct ecological investigations, and to implement an inquiry-based, schoolyard ecology unit. Questionnaire data and interviews pertaining to children's attitudes towards the natural world suggest that children have a strong appreciation of nature and are interested in learning more about it. Teacher's attitudes were positive toward teaching about the natural world, and they were interested in using inquiry-based investigations to teach about the local environment. However, they reported needing more scientific content and they felt insecure about not having sufficient scientific and environmental knowledge. A four-day inquiry-based unit focused on the schoolyard was implemented in two rural schools. The goal of the unit was to pilot an inquiry-based investigation that took advantage of local ecological resources. For children, the goals were to gain an appreciation of the diversity of habitat types in the schoolyard, and to learn through observing and recording information that habitats for organisms exist on large and small scales. Children participated in a four-day series of investigations that took advantage of local resources in their environment. Investigations included mapping the schoolyard on macro and micro scales, and observing birds in the habitats that they had mapped. Interviews with teachers suggest that they felt the unit was something they would like to do again. Children's post-investigation attitudes show positive changes towards the natural world. They reported liking nature and enjoying the explorations. This approach to schoolyard-based investigations can serve as a model for fiiture projects. It appears that it could be easily adapted to other classes in Mexico, as well as to other countries. There are many people who helped me in this endeavor from its conception to its completion. I would like to thank The Environmental Protection Agency and Dr. Flightner for their generous financial assistance. In the early collaborative stage of this project, the creativity and educational knowledge of Bob Petty and Sue Bonfield was greatly appreciated. Dr. Fletcher Brown also gave valuable insight and feedback at the early stages. Tom Roy offered constant assistance and a sense of humor. Kris Bueking was instrumental in helping to formulate ideas, and Lauren Pamelee helped in the final stages of editing I would especially like to thank Dr. Carol Brewer for advising me from another country, and another state. Her academic and personal wisdom has been an invaluable part of this past year. I could not have done this without her. Finally, I would like to thank my husband Fred for his constant support, ideas and help, and also for his companionship on our two trips to Mexico. V I I I Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Integrative zoology, 2008
The Boston Model describes a successful rodent management plan that succeeded in a first-world city in the USA. In third-world cities, which often contain informal shack settlements, it is debatable whether the Boston Model would apply. In Durban, a major harbor city of three million people on the east coast of South Africa, we investigated the sanitary risks due to rodents in both formal (residential and commercial) and informal (shacks) sectors, and we evaluated the relative merits of different management interventions suggested by the Boston Model. Blood and tissue samples of six species (Rattus norvegicus, R. tanezumi, R. rattus, Mus musculus, Mastomys natalensis, Tatera brantsi) from 262 live-trapped rodents from 54 localities were tested for antibodies or DNA for plague (n= 193: antibody test), leptospirosis (n= 221 for antibody test; n= 69 for polymerase chain reaction test for DNA) and toxoplasmosis (n= 217: antibody test). We conducted a socioeconomic survey of 90 household to determine environmental and socioeconomic disease risk factors in the shack settlement of Cato Crest. No rodents were seropositive for plague, but nine Norway rats, R. norvegicus (4.1% of the sample tested) were seropositive for toxoplasmosis, and 22 R. norvegicus (10.0% of sample tested) were seropositive for leptospirosis. Disease endemic areas were concentrated in Cato Crest and the commercial district of Durban. Serology tests of humans living in Cato Crest (n= 219) showed 0% exposure to plague, 23% to leptospirosis and 35% to toxoplasmosis. Compared with shack-dwellers, the residents of brick houses had slightly lower levels of exposure to leptospirosis and toxoplasmosis. Based on our results, environmental hygiene and rodent-trapping campaigns were launched in Cato Crest. The initiative owes much of its current success to implementation of the principles inherent in the Boston Model, even though certain elements were lacking.
— Researchers from three universities worked with multiple 6-12 grade teachers from 2013 to 2015to engage them and their students in developing science projects and learning applied science concepts. These projects focused on integrated pest management (IPM) and chemical use reduction (CUR) in the home. The objectives of the program consisted of increasing awareness about IPM and CUR, and promoted inquiry based leaning, while employing a new model of engagement in the classroom (i.e., liberating structures). Arm 1 of the program first engaged a large group of teachers (i.e., 75) in two-day trainings. A selected group of trained teachers then joined with researchers and trained graduate students to actively engage their 6-12 grade students in the classroom. Arm 2 involved the development and implementation of a more focused 10-day IPM and CUR curriculum to be used in the classroom, along with a 4-hr online training for teachers designed to facilitate its implementation. In an effort to create a balanced and comprehensive experience for those who participated, researchers from graduate science and communication, and K-12 STEM programs composed the project team. This article reports on the methodologies employed, experiences and overall metrics of the program. Recommendations are given to improve the process and the results based on participant experiences. Useful information is provided for those in the field planning to better engage the community and in particular 6-12 grade students in science and health education.
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2022
Non family health education is controversial by the different family models and is done in a contemplative way, which generates small fixation of concepts or behavioral changes and the child may have flawed personal sanitary concepts. As the school offers only a contemplative view, individual interactive experiences could pinpoint and emphasize these concepts. With this, the Institute of Tropical Medicine of the University of São Paulo and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, with the support of the Pro-Rectory of Extension and Culture of University of São Paulo, we constructed an interactive exhibition for students of public schools of the fundamental cycle, addressing the essential concepts of disease transmission and prevention. An initial contemplative view was offered during the waiting queue, then each individual performs experiments of interpersonal contact, transmission by fomites, variation of agents, and "contamination" is demonstrated by fluor...
Environmental Education in a Primary School in Southern Guanajuato, Mexico
2017
The objective of this work is to systematize the experiences obtained in a series of workshops in Environmental Education (EE) organized for 5 th year students from February 2015 to July 2015 in Justo Sierra Primary school, located at La Luz, a community in the municipality of Salvatierra, Guanajuato. Environmental Education is considered here a way of civilizing pupils, as it should help in whole child development, which would be susceptible to take action to improve the environment. EE constitutes an essential tool for realizing the paradigm of sustainable development. In that sense, EE came to rest from United Nations' (UN) domain to national, regional and local development plans. As a conclusion, we can say that EE has been slightly introduced in the community of La Luz, merely taught in agreement to the contents of the textbooks on natural science and civic and ethics education. It is worthy to say that all ten of the EE workshops organized in Justo Sierra school were suppo...