The impact of a community mobilization project on health-related knowledge and practices in Cameroon.

The analyses presented in this paper document the impact of a community mobilization effort in Cameroon. Between 1997 and 1998, a local non-governmental organization worked with community associations, Njangi, in one urban and one rural location to promote knowledge and positive practices concerning family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, and treatment of common childhood diseases. Based on a multi-tiered structure, the project involved selecting and training two prominent and influential members of each community as "relais" or middlemen. The "relais" then trained mobilizers from participating Njangis to provide relevant information and help to mobilize their fellow members in favor of the positive attitudes and practices promoted by the project. The project was evaluated using baseline and follow-up measurement of pertinent indicators, and service statistics. Results suggest that the intervention had significant influence in the rural location with noticeable positive effects on knowledge and practices of family planning, knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS and STIs, and use of health services. In the urban location, for programmatic and extraneous factors, the intervention was not effective. The paper discusses the lessons learnt from the intervention and offers pertinent suggestions for replicating the intervention in rural settings.

Country reports. Health personnel training in Cameroon.

PIP: In the early 1970s, the training programs of the National School of Nurses, Midwives and Birth Attendants of Yaounde, Camaroon gave much more importance to curative care than to preventive care. However, a change in government policy mandated that priority must be given to preventive medicine. As taught in the schools, prevention focused essentially on the important endemic diseases, but did not clearly show man in his environment nor emphasize the reciprocal relationship between the 2. In 1978, 2 workshops were held from which 2 instructional approaches presented were of particular interest: the method of problem-solving through the use of case studies and individual, personalized instruction through the use of self-instructional units. Also at the school, a number of new principles have been integrated into the theoretical teaching in the area of family health among which is the impact of the environment on the life of individuals and on families. Also explained are the basic demographic and health statistical data which is relevant to the study of family health and the idea of "risk factor". Other changes have been made in the area of family health services and in the area of family planning. The procedures for studying a family are also taught. There is satisfaction with the theoretical side of the course, but it is felt that there should be areas reserved for practical training that circumstances have not yet allowed to become realized.^ieng