Experience with a Multinational, Secondary School Education Module with a Focus on Prevention of Virus Infections

Worldwide, virus infections are responsible for many diseases in terms of morbidity and mortality. Vaccinations and therapies are only available for relatively few virus infections and not always where they are needed. However, knowledge of transmission routes can prevent virus infection. In the context of this study, we measured the effects of a secondary school education module, named Viruskenner, on knowledge, attitude, and risk behavior as these relate to virus infections. A nonrandomized intervention study was conducted between April and August 2015 to assess the effect of this 2-month education module on knowledge, attitude, and behavior of 684 secondary school students in the Netherlands, Suriname, and Indonesia. For the Netherlands, a control group of a further 184 students was added. Factor analysis was performed on questions pertaining to attitude and behavior. Comparative analyses between pre- and posttest per country were done using multiple linear regression, independent sample T-tests, and one-way analysis of variance. These showed a significant increase in knowledge about virus infections and the prevention of infectious diseases among the Dutch and Surinamese groups, whereas a trend of increased knowledge was evident among the Indonesian participants. The Dutch control group showed an overall decrease in knowledge. Regression analyses showed that there was a significant interaction effect between participation and time on knowledge, attitude, and awareness and behavior and risk infection. Attitudes improved significantly in the intervention group. Pearson correlation coefficients between knowledge, attitude, and behavior were found to be positive.