Piloting the Informed Health Choices (IHC) School Resources in China

Article type
Authors
Zhang J1, Wang J1, Ma Y2, Yu X2, Chen Y2
1School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou; Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University; WHO Collaborating Centre for Guideline Implementation and Knowledge Translation, Lanzhou; Cochrane China Network
2Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University; WHO Collaborating Centre for Guideline Implementation and Knowledge Translation, Lanzhou; Cochrane China Network
Abstract
Background:
Informed Health Choices (IHC) is an international project (26 countries and 15 languages), which has been responsible for developing educational interventions for improving people’s ability to assess claims about treatment effects. The aim of the project is to enable people to think critically about health claims and choices.
Objectives:
To explore and describe teachers’ and children’s user experiences of the resources, and to suggest how the resources might be made more useful, easy to use, understandable, credible and well-suited in China.
Methods:
We have translated the IHC primary school learning resources into Chinese, including IHC key Concepts, Health Choices Book, and the CLAIM questionnaires. We carried out a primary school pilot over a school term in the city, taught IHC primary school resources among about 30 pupils of grade three to five in fourteen lessons and completed the CLAIM questionnaire. We observed lessons and conducted user-test interviews with the teacher and children. After the pilot trial, we collected the feedbacks of children’s user and committee for the learning resources, as well as get a part of suggestions of how those resources might be modified to be better suited for use in China, and what kind of education is more suitable for primary school students in China.
Results:
We find that drama-based education approaches are very effective in improving students' understanding and the applicability of books. we have used it and adapted the book to write an original pantomime, which is currently in the stage of modification and user feedback. Since some of the illustrations and settings in the book are not suitable for primary children in China, we are working with the expert committee to optimize and innovate the curriculum system for adapting the health education system in China. For the students' assessment result of the lesson, 80% believed that the lesson was easy to understand, and they trusted what the teacher said, 33% liked PPT with dubbing and animation, 38% liked drama-based education approaches.
Conclusions:
The pilot has provided us with useful suggestions and insights. We will continue to update and improve our primary school resources, conduct the pilot targeting in rural primary school students to make more well-suited use in different regions of China, and disseminate more key EBM concepts to help the public critically appraises the health and use research to inform decisions.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
The children were the target of the pilot and healthcare consumer involvement.