ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2022
"The Magic Glasses Philippines": a cluster randomised controlled trial of a health education package for the prevention of intestinal worm infections in schoolchildren.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk factors and control of Opisthorchis viverrini in the Lower Mekong Basin: A systematic review.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of the BALatrine intervention on soil-transmitted helminth infections in Central Java, Indonesia: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.Nature communications · 2026Trial
- The Effect of a Video-Assisted Health Education Program Followed by Peer Education on the Health Literacy of COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases Among School Children: Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR human factors · 2024Trial
- The Impact of "The Magic Glasses Opisthorchiasis" on Schoolchildren's Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices SurroundingTropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
- WASH and learn: a scoping review of health, education and gender equity outcomes of school-based water, sanitation and hygiene in low-income and middle-income countries.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Breaking the cycle of parasitic diseases with edutainment: The intersection of entertainment and education.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Review
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- Cost analysis for "The Magic Glasses Philippines" health education package to prevent intestinal worm infections among Filipino schoolchildren.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2023Article
- Soil-transmitted helminth infections and nutritional indices among Filipino schoolchildren.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
21 authors at 8 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSoil-transmitted helminths (STH) cause substantial disease and disability globally. Health education has proven complementary to school-based drug administration programs for STH control. We determined the generalizability of the impact of "The Magic Glasses" health education package for STH prevention in schoolchildren in Laguna province, the Philippines, having previously shown its positive impact in China.
methodsWe conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial, in schoolchildren, aged 9-10 years, across 40 schools over one year. Schools were randomly assigned either to the "Magic Glasses Philippines" health education intervention package (consisting of a cartoon video, classroom discussions, drawing and essay competition) complementing the standard health education activities of the Philippines Departments of Health and Education, or to a control group, which involved only the standard health education activities. The primary trial outcomes were the proportion of STH infected schoolchildren and their knowledge, attitude and behaviour of STH assessed in both groups at baseline and through two follow-up surveys undertaken immediately prior to the semi-annual national mass administration of albendazole. The outcomes between the study arms were compared using generalized estimating equation models, accounting for clustering at the school level. The trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number: ACTRN12616000508471.
findingsAt follow-up assessments, the mean knowledge and behaviour scores in the intervention group were, respectively, 5·3 (95% confidence interval [CI]:4·2-6·5; p=<0.001) and 1·1 (95% CI: 0·4-1·7; p=0.002) percentage points higher than the control group. There was no overall effect on helminth infections (any STH; adjusted odds ratio [aOR]:1·0; 95% CI: 0·8-1·3; p=0·856),
interpretationThe health-education package demonstrated a modest but statistically significant impact on the students' overall STH knowledge and changes in their behaviour but was only effective in preventing STH infections in intervention schools where the baseline prevalence was ≤15%.
fundingNational Health and Medical Research Council, Australia, and the UBS-Optimus Foundation, Switzerland.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.