01813nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001653002000042653003900062653002900101653001000130653002500140653001500165100001200180700001200192700001200204700001300216700001400229700001900243700001400262700001300276245015900289300001400448490000700462520105200469022001401521       2014                            d10aschistosomiasis10aNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs)10aMass drug administration10aKenya10aHealth communication10aCompliance1 aOmedo M1 aOgutu M1 aAwiti A1 aMusuva R1 aMuchiri G1 aMontgomery S P1 aSecor W E1 aMwinzi P00aThe effect of a health communication campaign on compliance with mass drug administration for schistosomiasis control in Western Kenya--The SCORE Project.  a982 - 9880 v913 a<p>Compliance with mass drug administration (MDA) can be affected by rumors and mistrust about the drug. Communication campaigns are an effective way to influence attitudes and health behaviors in diverse public health contexts, but there is very little documentation about experiences using health communications in schistosomiasis control programs. A qualitative study was conducted with community health workers (CHWs) as informants to explore the effect of a health communication campaign on their experiences during subsequent praziquantel MDA for schistosomiasis. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English where applicable, and analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti software. According to the CHWs, exposure to mass media messages improved awareness of the MDA, which in turn, led to better treatment compliance. Our findings suggest that communication campaigns influence health behaviors and create awareness of schistosomiasis control interventions, which may ultimately improve praziquantel MDA.</p>
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