Developing comic strips promoting diabetic retinopathy screening in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, using Intervention Mapping

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Education
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Diabetic retinopathy screening is crucial for preventing vision loss in diabetic patients.
• Culturally appropriate health messages are needed to improve screening uptake.
• The Kilimanjaro Diabetic Programme utilized Intervention Mapping to develop an evidence-based screening program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop culturally appropriate and accessible health messages promoting diabetic retinopathy screening.
• To deliver motivational messages encouraging screening acceptance, regardless of prior eye health history.

Main Methods:

• A multi-method research design informed by Social Cognitive Theory was employed.
• Community participation was integral to promoting positive eye health behaviors.
• Two comic strips, 'Draughts' and 'Soap Opera,' were created as health education tools.

Main Results:

• The 'Draughts' comic strip achieved a Flesch-Kincaid readability of 75.7% and 87.04% comprehension.
• The 'Soap Opera' comic strip had a Flesch-Kincaid readability of 75.6% and 86.54% comprehension.
• High comprehension rates suggest the messages were well-understood by the target audience.

Conclusions:

• Diabetic retinopathy comic strips served as a successful health education strategy within a clinical trial.
• Patient engagement and message understanding were high, as evidenced by requests for materials and lack of discarded comics.
• This approach demonstrates the potential of visual, culturally relevant tools in promoting diabetic retinopathy screening.