III. School Children’s Health Studies

Rationale: The farmer-to-farmer health studies were also designed for use in schools that are doing IPM for a number of reasons. First, we are educating a future generation who will be the primary beneficiaries of good personal health, a preserved natural environment, and a sound food-producing economy.  Next, children can have an influence on protecting the health of their parents by making them aware of the health hazards of pesticides. In addition, the data generated from these studies remain in the community and will be used by the community for decision-making. Finally, conducting these studies in schools is an exceedingly rich non-formal educational experience. The surveys increase their skills in: 

Teachers experientially also learn the methods and results of non-formal education. 

Methods for school children’s health studies [1]: Students perform each of the 5 topics in class through creative games and or competing teams. Then as homework, they practice collecting the information with their parents or a farmer neighbor. The following morning in their working groups they discuss, analyze and present their data for the class at large. Once the information has been gathered on each of the 5 topics, they summarize it on flip charts in the form of pictures, tables or graphs and present it to their parents and community. 

Below is an example the methods used to train children to collect data on the household survey and signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning: 

Household storage and disposal practices: This exercise involves a great deal of teamwork, calls for critical thinking and math skills. It generates heated discussions among the participants.

1. It starts with a scavenger hunt. Each team must collect 10 items: something round, from a plant, smelling good, long/sharp, a wrapper… etc

2. Then each team must  build a household compound on a flip chart with the scavenger hunt materials

3. They then draw in where: pesticides/tank are stored, food is stored, prepared and consumed, water source, storage, where consumed, animal pens, and pesticide disposal sites. 

4. Finally the class analyzes each house to determine if pesticide storage and disposal is: child, food, water, livestock safe

5. Homework: Each student must draw their own household showing the sites specified in step 3.

6. Next day: Each group scores each house and summarizes the findings on one picture. (% households that are child, food, water, animal safe)

Signs and Symptoms of Pesticide Poisoning: This exercise draws a lot of humor and helps better define the meaning of the symptoms and other conditions that could mimic pesticide poisoning.

1. Each group must outline the body of one participant on a double length flip chart.

2. The groups write on cards each sign or symptoms of pesticide poisoning that they have seen, heard about or know about. These are pasted to the body map. 

3. They then must correct the body map (adding or taking off cards) referring to the distributed body map survey form. 

4. From one correct body map, each participant takes one card.

5. Charade game: With the class sitting in a circle, they must guess what sign or symptom each participant acts out, one by one. Then as a group on a newsprint flip chart, they list what other illness or condition can also present with this same symptom or sign. During this game the teacher demonstrates the special exam used to observe tremors, staggering gait, red eyes, and eye twitching. 

6. Each student then draws their own body map picture and writes down all the signs and symptoms.

7. Homework: With this picture the students interview their parents or a neighbor about signs and symptoms ‘ever’ experienced after spraying.

8. Next day: In groups (5/group) on one picture they summarize their data  (e.g. #/total = % by each sign or symptom). They then present their group findings to the class.

9. Later each sign and symptom is discussed in context of the chemical families, when the class analyzes the pesticides found in their parent’s households. 

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