School-based initiatives to reduce malaria morbidity and promote academic achievement in children
| dc.contributor.author | Macnab, Andrew J. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-03-15T06:45:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-03-15T06:45:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020 | |
| dc.description | CITATION: Macnab, A. J. 2020. School-based initiatives to reduce malaria morbidity and promote academic achievement in children, in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/14. | |
| dc.description | The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za | |
| dc.description.abstract | In sub-Saharan Africa, the challenge of addressing illnesses related to the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) is compounded by other determinants of health, most notably the impact of poverty and infectious disease. Research has identified social factors to be the root cause of inequities in health that involve both non-communicable and infectious diseases, hence the calls for remedial action to involve social and treatment strategies. There is a recognised need for school programmes to educate the next generation about DOHaD, so that young people gain a measure of ‘health independence’ through learned knowledge, acquired skills and positive behaviours with the potential to improve the future health of their offspring. However, this goal is at risk when other adverse social determinants of health exist, and especially where infectious diseases are endemic, and morbidity from infection among school children is high. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, malaria is the principal reason a child will be absent from school. How long a child is absent is a well-accepted measure of the severity of morbidity from malaria. Such absences can be of long duration, and associated residual cognitive compromise can compound the negative impact of malaria on a child’s ability to learn. For this reason, school-based strategies to advance knowledge about DOHaD in sub-Saharan Africa will benefit where school-based programmes addressing malaria are offered in parallel. A variety of educational approaches able to advance knowledge and provide practical skills related to DOHaD lend themselves to parallel programmes. For example, programmes can follow policies to advance the United Nations (UN)’ ‘Sustainable Development Goals’, adopt global strategies to promote the education of girls and implement the World Health Organization (WHO)’s ‘Health-Promoting School’ model. Malaria morbidity exemplifies how health inequity can negatively impact a child’s ability to benefit from education. However, simple and effective school-based approaches exist that can positively impact morbidity, provide access to diagnostic and treatment services, reduce absence due to illness and increase the capacity of large numbers of children to learn. This chapter reviews global efforts to reduce the impact of malaria on children's health, improve their ability to attend school, enhance their potential for academic achievement and minimise their risk of cognitive impairment. It also describes a successful and inexpensive community participatory intervention model based on WHO-endorsed diagnostic and treatment principles, that also follows the 2017 Lancet Commission’s current recommendations on the future of health in sub- Saharan Africa to use ‘non-traditional outlets’, ‘people-centred approaches’ and ‘improved tools’ to address health challenges. This model is suitable for use in schools worldwide where malaria is endemic and can be offered in parallel with school-based strategies to engage youth in the context of the DOHaD agenda. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Publisher's version | |
| dc.format.extent | 44 pages | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Macnab, A. J. 2020. School-based initiatives to reduce malaria morbidity and promote academic achievement in children, in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/14. | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 978-1-928357-74-2 (print) | |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 978-1-928357-75-9 (online) | |
| dc.identifier.other | doi:10.18820/9781928357759/14 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109646 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | African Sun Media | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | The STIAS Series | |
| dc.rights.holder | African Sun Media | |
| dc.rights.holder | STIAS | |
| dc.subject | Diseases -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Malaria | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Children -- Diseases | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Health education -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.title | School-based initiatives to reduce malaria morbidity and promote academic achievement in children | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Chapters in Books | en_ZA |