Simon Lewin

Dec 20, 2024 | ghspjournal.org | Faith Chesire |Andrew Oxman |Margaret Kaseje |Violet Gisore |Michael Mugisha |Ronald Ssenyonga | +9 more

Key FindingsThe Informed Health Choices secondary school intervention was largely implemented as planned, but extended time for teaching and the use of Swahili were needed. Factors that facilitated the effective implementation included teacher training; perceived value of the intervention by students, teachers, and policymakers; and support from education officials, school managers, and administration.

Dec 20, 2024 | ghspjournal.org | Ronald Ssenyonga |Simon Lewin |Esther Nakyejwe |Faith Chelagat |Michael Mugisha |Matt Oxman | +9 more

Students, teachers, head teachers, and policymakers valued the lessons and recognized their importance in helping people cope with an overload of health information and in making informed health choices. Both students and teachers could relate to the health issues that the lessons addressed. Finding time to teach the lessons impeded their delivery. It may also affect scaling up the intervention.

Dec 20, 2024 | ghspjournal.org | Michael Mugisha |Andrew Oxman |Laetitia Nyirazinyoye |Anne Marie Uwitonze |Faith Chesire |Ronald Ssenyonga | +7 more

Few randomized trials have evaluated the effects of educational interventions that teach critical thinking about health. This study assessed the implementation process, impact, and scale-up of the Informed Health Choices secondary school intervention in Rwanda. The intervention improved students’ ability to recognize claims, assess them, and weigh the benefits and harms of interventions and helped students to use what they learned.