An evaluation of the impact of care groups on knowledge about oral fluid therapy

Care groups (CGs) consist of unpaid volunteers, mostly women from local villages, with a commitment to promote health and well-being, with a particular emphasis on child health. CGs have been shown to be effective in promoting changes in health practices, promoting better personal hygiene and helping in the control of infectious diseases. The CG system was introduced in Venda's Donald Fraser Health Ward and oral fluid therapy (OFT) for diarrhoeal diseases was promoted from the beginning. In 1985 a survey was conducted to identify to what extent diarrhoea was a problem in the community and to determine the degree of knowledge about OFT in the population. Six hundred households in 10 villages with CGs and 600 households in 10 villages without CGs were surveyed. Despite the fact that in the CG area 76% of the respondents were aware of OFT, only 38% of these knew how to prepare the solution correctly (chi 2; P less than 0.001). The findings are discussed in the context of the theory on communication of innovations, and some recommendations are made.