Review: A systematic review of preventive health educational videos targeting infectious diseases in schoolchildren

Abstract

We conducted a systematic review of preventive health educational videos targeting infectious diseases in schoolchildren to formulate recommendations for establishing an evidence base for future studies. We included studies that evaluated interventions involving video-based health education in schools to improve knowledge and attitudes and to change behavior regarding different infections. The majority of the 11 studies we reviewed concluded that videos were well received by schools, teachers, and children, and are promising and effective health education tools, having a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes. However, there is a pressing need for more standardized, high-quality studies to draw evidence-based conclusions on the value of educational videos targeting infectious diseases. Therefore, we provide a descriptive summary of the results and make recommendations for studies using preventive educational videos targeting infectious diseases in schoolchildren on the basis of our experiences gained in a video-based cluster randomized trial.