A mass radio campaign saves thousands of children in Africa

A mass radio campaign in Burkina Faso has resulted in a significant increase in the number of sick children who have received medical care and could prove to be one of the most cost-effective ways of saving from young lives in poor countries. The results of a trial involving a radio campaign in rural areas that encouraged the treatment of three of the biggest killers of children under the age of 5 – malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea – the researchers said that about 3,000 lives were saved

The fact that using the media to drive people to health centers is actually more profitable than almost anything on earth in terms of saving life of children, "said Roy Head, who co-directed the study, reaches millions of people at once – but it's the first time that it has been shown in a scientific essay . "

The radio campaign, which the researchers said used a method of" saturation "of radio intensive transmissions was broadcast in Burkina Faso between 2012 and 2015.

It was broadcast on seven radio stations in a radius of about 50 kilometers (30 mil es), while seven more Routine data from health facilities were then analyzed for changes in treatment seeking, with data from more than 1.1 million consultations and deliveries evaluated.

The findings – published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal Global Health – showed a significant increase in the adoption of rescue behaviors for specific targeted diseases.

Diagnosis rates for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea increased significantly over the three years of the study, including a 107 percent increase in diagnoses of diarrhea in the third year and an increase 56 percent in malaria diagnoses in the first year. The researchers said that there was no change in detection rates With the help of a mathematical modeling tool, the team estimated a reduction in mortality 9.7% in the first year, 5.7% in the second year and 5.5% in the third year. "Pneumonia, malaria and diarrhea are three of the biggest killers of children in sub-Saharan Africa," said Simon Cousens, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who led the work. "This research provides evidence that the media has an important role to play in persuading parents to seek life-saving treatment for children."