Impact of a Simple Educational Intervention Against Tuberculosis Among High School Children in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge in Pakistan despite the availability of effective treatment. Raising awareness among students can contribute to early detection and disease prevention. This quasi-experimental study assessed the impact of a targeted educational intervention on TB-related knowledge among schoolchildren.

Methodology: A quasi-experimental study was conducted from December 2023 to September 2024 among 71 school students aged 10–14 years in grades 6–8 in an outskirt area of Lahore, Pakistan. Students were assigned to teacher-led (n=36) or expert-led (n=35) tuberculosis awareness sessions. A WHO-adapted, reliable KAP questionnaire assessed knowledge at baseline and six months post-intervention. Both groups received six monthly sessions, and changes in knowledge scores were analyzed and compared using SPSS-26.

Results: Out of 118 students, 11 did not provide consent, 16 missed one or more intervention sessions, and 20 did not completely answer the questionnaire and were therefore excluded from the final analysis. A total of 71 students gave complete answers to the pre-test questionnaire. The mean age of the students for group A was 12.85 ± 2.11 SD (in years), and for group B, it was 12.67 ± 1.23 SD (in years). In total, there were 38% boys and 62% girls. The mean percentage of all pre-test participants (71 students) involved was 55.9%, which improved to 80.1% in Group A (36 students) and 92.6% in Group B (35 students) after intervention. Both groups showed substantial improvement, but the increase was greater in the expert-led group.

Conclusion: Both educational approaches significantly influenced TB knowledge, with expert-led sessions yielding superior outcomes. These findings suggest that integrating expert-guided TB awareness programs into school curricula could enhance long-term public health impact.