Little Doctors
Agents of change in Indian rural communities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21448847 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kalyani Premkumar (0000-0002-6127-7498, University of Saskatchewan, corresponding author), Rajkumar Ramasamy (KC Patty Primary Health Center, Tamil Nadu, India), Mary Ramasamy (KC Patty Primary Health Center, Tamil Nadu, India), Harini P Aiyer (0000-0001-5005-6350, University of Saskatchewan) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 784-788 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Teacher (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0142-159X • E-ISSN: 1466-187X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0142159x.2023.2197134 |
| PMID | 37053445 |
| OpenAlex | W4365459301 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 11 |
The child-to-child approach to health advocacy is one that draws on the strengths and agency of children to make a positive impact within their communities. The approach has been popularly used for health education in low- and middle-income countries. This article describes the 'Little Doctors' program that implemented the child-to-child approach in the towns of KC Patty and Oddanchatram, located in remote hilly regions of Tamil Nadu, India starting in 1986 to train middle- and high school children to respond to diseases prevalent in their communities along with practices for preventative measures. The program involved sessions that used a combination of creative instructional methods to engage students and provided take-home messages for them to act on with their families and community. The program was successful in creating a creative learning environment for children, offering a shift from the traditional methods of classroom instruction. Students who successfully completed the program were awarded certificates as 'Little Doctors' in their communities. Although the program did not conduct formal evaluations of the program effectiveness, students reported successfully recalling complex topics such as early signs of diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy that were prevalent in the community during the time. The program experienced several challenges and had to be discontinued despite its continued benefits to the communities
Agency (philosophy) · Medical education · Social science · Sociology · Tamil · Child and Adolescent Health · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · School Health and Nursing Education
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |