African Therapeutic Drug Monitoring | 26 February 2002
Impact Evaluation of Community Health Workers' Training Programmes on Diarrheal Disease Prevention in Sierra Leone: An African Perspective
S, o, r, n, a, k, e, J, ., M, a, n, s, a, r, a, y, ,, K, o, r, o, m, a, S, e, s, a, y
Abstract
Diarrheal diseases remain a significant public health concern in Sierra Leone, with outbreaks often exacerbated by inadequate healthcare infrastructure and resources. The study employed a mixed-methods approach involving baseline surveys, post-intervention assessments, and qualitative interviews with CHWs and community members to evaluate the impact of training programmes on diarrheal disease prevention. Community health workers demonstrated significant improvement in knowledge about diarrheal disease prevention (85% increase), leading to a reduction in reported cases by 40% within six months post-training. Training programmes for CHWs have shown promising results in enhancing their skills and attitudes towards diarrheal disease prevention, contributing positively to community health outcomes. Continued training and support for CHWs are recommended to sustain the benefits observed. Further research should explore scalability of these interventions across different socio-economic contexts.