Study On Health Promotion And Health Education Interventions In Earthquake Affected Area, Gansu Province

Objective:There are three objectives of this paper. Firstly, it introduces the earthquake damage, impacts, dissemination of infectious diseases and public hygiene response after the "5.12" Wenchuan earthquake, and carries out the survey on the knowledge, altitude and practice among the earthquake affected areas. Secondly, it is understood that how the schoolchildren’s health was benefited from rural drinking water and sanitation improvement and health education in schools. Thirdly, it explores the new health education intervention methods on focus groups by strengthening the health education institutions and health education personnel building in earthquake affected areas. Methods:Firstly, an integrated qualitative and quantitative method have been used to investigate and analyze on health works and urban&rural residents in Kangxian county in Gansu province, which include collecting the information on earthquake impacts, transformation of infectious diseases, public hygiene responses, people’s knowledge, altitude and practices on disaster response and recovery. Secondly, a comprehensive survey was conducted on safe drinking water, sanitary latrines, students’knowledge and behavior on hygiene, students’ health in33rural primary schools in Xihe county, Gansu Province. Based on this, carried out a series of interventions on water and sanitation improvement, hygiene promotion, with indicators of drinking water quality, students’ health knowledge and behavior, the students’incidences of prevalence of diarrhea in2weeks, anemia, malnutrition and stunting, ect. Finally, the compared data on before and after interventions was analyzed. Thirdly, organized the training sessions on health education for local health workers and on-field hygiene promotion interventions in communities in Liangdang county,Tanchang county, chengxian county and Wenxian county in Gansu province, an evaluation on intervention effects was conducted. Results:Firstly, the results showed that the awareness of self-rescue and post-disaster epidemic prevention of the residents in Kangxian County is very low, and it displayed a remarkable different to access health knowledge between urban and rural residents. Secondly, after the Wenchuan earthquake, due to the poor school conditions, inadequate waste management and disposal system, pollution of drinking water and poor sanitation facilities in33rural primary schools in Xihe County in Gansu, the schoolchildren’s health has been affected significantly. Interventions were divided into water and sanitation infrastructure reconstruction and health education. After the interventions, the water supply systems, sanitary latrines and handwashing facilities were built in all33schools, these has led to the school’s sanitation condition and drinking water quality were improved significantly. Through implementation of various health education activities in schools, the student’s hygiene behaviors have been developed. Through carrying out intervention activities, the students’parasite infection rate has decreased from20.0%to16.0%; and the incidences of prevalence of diarrhea rate in2weeks has decreased from12.7%to8.5%; and the prevalence of anemia rate has decreased from17.7%to5.8%; and the prevalence rate of malnutrition has decreased from23.2%to11.6%; and the malnutrition and stunting rate has decreased from28.6%to20.0%. Thirdly, it is an obvious effect of carrying out heath education intervention activities on focus groups in Wenxian county, Tanchang county, Chengxian county and Liangdang county in Gansu province. The parenting knowledge and awareness rate of the Children’s mother/caregivers has increased from45.9%to91.3%as before. The formation rate of health behavior about parenting children and related has increased from30.6%to62.3%. The primary students’ awareness rate of health knowledge has increased from37.4%to59.6%.The behavior formation rate of health hazard has decreased from40.6%to31.9%. Conclusion: Firstly, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive health education to respond the major natural disasters. Secondly, improvement on water and sanitation facilities in schools is effective way to increase the children’s health status. Thirdly, it is necessary to carry out the health education on drinking water and personal hygiene in earthquake affected areas. Fourthly, the health interventions in schools effectively have improved the schools’ sanitation conditions and the students’ health status. Fifthly, carrying out the health education for focus groups in earthquake areas is in line with the actual situation as well as with obvious effects.