EVALUATION OF AN EDUCATIONAL RADIO PROGRAM ABOUT BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS IN CARLINDA (MT): RESULTS, EFFECTS AND IMPACTS

Abstract

In order to contribute to bovine tuberculosis prevention program, a study using radio as an instrument for health education was implemented at Carlinda Municipality, MT. The work was developed in four main phases which comprehended situational diagnostic, radio programs elaboration and formative evaluation, material radio transmission and final evaluation. Situational diagnostic was based on 161 interviews made with local inhabitants and it was the start point to elaborate four radio spots with one minute each and four six minutes programs which were presented by the major local commercial radio. Spots were daily transmitted while six minutes programs were presented once a week. Final evaluation was made by interviews with the same local residents who participated from initial diagnostic. To perform the statistical analysis for tuberculosis knowledge change it was used the McNemar test with significance level of 5% and confidence interval of 95%. Other tests used were the Wilcoxon to evaluate alterations in the number of symptoms, economic losses and control measures cited by listeners before and after program transmission. The Mann Whitney test was used to calculate difference on self-evaluation in relation to tuberculosis knowledge between the group that listened education material and the group of farmers who did not. Education material transmitted by radio reached 30% of local residents. For them there were significant changes on knowledge of bovine disease symptoms, its zoonotic characteristic and human transmission pathways. There was no significant alteration on the item that evaluated “the recognition that there could be bovine tuberculosis on that region” and “the knowledge of control measures”. Data obtained corroborate the idea that knowledge transmitted by radio was effective, improving population knowledge in relation to bovine tuberculosis, although specific aspects of each community must be taken in consideration in order to develop more effective health education programs.