Rheumatic Heart Disease Education Tools Integrated Into a Screening Program in Brazil: Acceptability and Knowledge...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Education
• Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Background:

• Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a significant cause of preventable death in low- and middle-income countries.
• Effective health education is crucial for managing and reducing the RHD burden.
• This study focused on high-burden areas in Brazil to address RHD prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the acceptability of low-literacy educational flipcharts for RHD.
• To assess knowledge gain regarding RHD and rheumatic fever (RF) among various populations.
• To integrate educational tools into existing RHD screening programs.

Main Methods:

• Development of four culturally adapted, low-literacy flipcharts over three years.
• Delivery of training and education to healthcare professionals, patients, community members, and school children.
• Assessment via pre- and post-training surveys and knowledge tests, including a three-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Significant knowledge improvement (p < 0.01) in healthcare professionals regarding RF as RHD cause, penicillin G use, and prophylaxis.
• High acceptance rates: 98% of respondents reported learning something new.
• Strong intention to share knowledge: 94% planned to disseminate learnings.

Conclusions:

• Low-literacy educational flipcharts are an effective tool for RHD education in Brazil.
• The flipcharts were successfully integrated into RHD screening, demonstrating high acceptability.
• Significant knowledge enhancement was observed, particularly among healthcare and education professionals.