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Health Promotion International Advance Access originally published online on December 16, 2007
Health Promotion International 2008 23(1):16-23; doi:10.1093/heapro/dam037
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© The Author (2007). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

School children as health change agents in Magu, Tanzania: a feasibility study

J. R. Mwanga1,*, B. B. Jensen2, P. Magnussen3 and J. Aagaard-Hansen3

1 National Institute for Medical Research, PO Box 1462, Mwanza, Tanzania 2 Danish University of Education, Institute for Curriculum Research, Research Programme for Environmental and Health Education, Emdrupvej 101, DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark 3 DBL—Centre for Health Research and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jaegersborg Allé 1D, DK-2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark

* Corresponding author. E-mail: jrmwanga{at}yahoo.co.uk


  Abstract

The feasibility of an action-oriented and participatory educational approach, where school children function as health change agents, in a rural community of (Magu district) Tanzania was explored. Observations, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with pupils, teachers and parents were undertaken. Findings showed that study participants favoured an approach where school children played an active role as health change agents in a combined school and community health education project. This conclusion contradicts traditional views in many African cultures where power, status and wisdom are usually closely associated with old age. However, a number of barriers were found, including the curriculum, time constraints, class size, teaching materials and teachers' skills and working conditions. The idea that pupils act as health change agents in the community as part of an action-oriented and participatory health education approach in schools was supported. A list of factors to consider when planning an action-oriented health education project is provided and discussed.

Key words: action-oriented health education; change agents; Tanzania


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