A school-based health package for the prevention of soil-transmitted helminth infections in China and the Philippines

Our central thesis is that a health educational video, developed by our group, targeting schoolchildren, can influence their behaviour in a way conducive to prevent parasitic worm infections, thereby playing a pivotal role in the control and prevention of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) globally. We now wish to: 1). Undertake a school-based cluster-randomised intervention trial in another endemic setting in Yunnan, China with high prevalence and diverse ethnicities for generalisability and to provide an evidence base for translation of the video into public health policy and practice thus supporting the control of STHs in China; and 2). Culturally adapt the video for use in schools in the Philippines and evaluate its local effect on STH infection rates, with the aim of developing a universal school-focused educational tool as part of multi-component integrated control programs targeting NTDs for Southeast Asia and beyond.