Objective: To assess the value of a game known as Jugando en salud: dengue [Playing for health: dengue] as a teaching/learning tool leading to the incorporation of schoolchildren enrolled in secondary school in the control of Aedes aegypti and dengue prevention activities in the municipality of Girardot, Aragua state, Venezuela.
Methods: We performed a descriptive, quasi-experimental study based on field research carried out in 9 schools that were chosen by systematic random sampling among the 29 public schools in the municipality of Girardot, Aragua state, Venezuela, having three or more sixth-grade classrooms. In each school three workrooms were set up: in group no. 1 (210 students) the game was practiced three times a week for a total of 60 days, and the teacher was furnished with theoretical materials about dengue; in group no. 2 (196 students) only the theoretical materials that were given to the teacher were used, and in group no. 3 (215 students), which was the control group, the regular learning program established by the Ministry of Education was followed. Participating students were evaluated before and after each of the proposed programs by means of a questionnaire that was evaluated using a Likert scale. We calculated concentration and dispersion measures for the data obtained during the evaluations. Simple analysis of variance was used to compare the mean results obtained in the different classrooms and to detect significant differences among the various groups in terms of knowledge and skills before and after the proposed program. Scheffé's test was used to detect differences within groups.
Results: Six hundred twenty-one schoolchildren between the ages of 8 and 16 years (mean age: 11.8 years) participated in the study. Of the 210 students that took part in the game, 41% rated its acceptability as "high" and 45% as "very high." The knowledge about dengue and the skills that were measured prior to following the prescribed program were lower (6.5 and 18.4 points, respectively) than those displayed in the final test (8.25 and 22.9 points, respectively; P < 0,05). There appeared to be better learning in the groups that used the game plus the theoretical materials (group no. 1), or that used just the theoretical materials (group no. 2), than in the control group (group no. 3). Students in workrooms 1 and 2 also appeared to acquire more skills than those in the control group (P < 0,05).
Conclusions: The game was highly accepted among students enrolled in secondary school. It helped them acquire greater knowledge about dengue and to develop skills and abilities leading to their incorporation in dengue prevention activities in their respective communities. We recommend that the game be extended to all schools as a tool for strengthening the educational process and incorporating children in dengue control activities.