BackgroundSchistosomiasis remains a public health problem in many regions of the world, including Nigeria. Current control strategy involves mass drug administration with praziquantel to the endemic population. To complement and sustain on-going preventive chemotherapy, we developed a health educational game named Schisto and Ladders™ and tested its potential for the control of schistosomiasis among schoolchildren living in Imala-Odo, a highly endemic community near Abeokuta, Nigeria.MethodsOne hundred school children were randomly selected and divided into intervention and control groups through balloting. Their knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning schistosomiasis transmission, control and prevention were assessed using structured questionnaires. Schisto and Ladders™ game were given to the intervention group and the popular Snake and Ladders™ game to the control group. Both games were played for 2 months under the supervision of their class teachers. A post-KAP assessment was carried out in both groups, including focus group discussions (FGDs) to investigate knowledge and the impact of the games.ResultsKnowledge about urinary schistosomiasis and its transmission significantly improved (P = 0.000) in the intervention group (68.0%) compared to the control group (8.0%). FGDs showed that the frequency of visits to dam water also significantly reduced (P = 0.048) in the intervention group (18.0%) compared to the control group (40.0%). There was a significant increase in knowledge regarding risk behaviours, prevention and control of schistosomiasis among the intervention group, but no new knowledge gained in the control group.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the potential of the health education game Schisto and Ladders™ for teaching basic health education and promoting behavioural changes among schoolchildren in endemic communities.

Background We redesigned the Schisto and Ladders health educational board game and evaluated its potential to encourage compliance to school-based mass drug administration with praziquantel. Methods Two hundred and seventy-five children from six schools who rejected praziquantel treatment were divided into intervention and control groups. Before the intervention, preassessment interviews were conducted on their knowledge about praziquantel treatment and schistosomiasis. The Schisto and Ladders version 2 game as an intervention, and the Snakes and Ladders game as a control, were played for 6 mo. Postassessment interviews, including focus group discussions, were conducted. Results At preassessment, 0/98 (0.0%) children in the intervention group had heard of praziquantel compared with 2/177 (1.1%) in the control group. Similarly, 0/98 (0.0%) children in the intervention group did not know that praziquantel does not kill compared with 4/177 (2.3%) in the control group. The postassessment showed that 53/78 (67.9%) in the intervention group were aware of praziquantel compared with 2/177 (1.1%) in the control group (p=0.000). Similarly, 53 (69.7%) in the intervention group knew about the safety of praziquantel compared with 0/177 (0.0%) in the control group (p=0.000). Sixty-four children (65.3%) from the intervention group sought praziquantel treatment after the trial. Conclusions Schisto and Ladders version 2 is a useful sensitisation tool with which to encourage compliance to praziquantel treatment in schools.

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