Health project reduces violence, bullying in Nalanda: The Lancet

THE PROJECT WAS ROLLED OUT IN 74 GOVERNMENTRUN SECONDARY AND HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NALANDA

In findings that have implications for the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (national adolescent health programme), a one-year ‘lay counsellor’-led health promotion project in government schools in Bihar’s Nalanda district lowered bullying, depression, substance abuse and violence, and improved teacher-student relationship, decision-making, gender equity and knowledge of sexual health, according to a study published in The Lancet on Thursday.

India is home to 236.5 million 10-19 year olds, according to Census 2011 data. “Health-promoting behaviours and attitudes during adolescence, such as improving emotional regulation, have enormous long-term benefits on both mental health and physical health because this is the period of life when such behaviours are consolidated,” said principal investigator Dr Vikram Patel, professor, Global Health at Harvard Medical School.

The low-resource project, called SEHER, was rolled out in 74 government-run secondary and higher secondary schools in Nalanda district, with a population of 2.8 million and a literacy rate of 66% compared to the national average of 74%.

Simple initiatives like setting up speak-out boxes for complaints and suggestions showed results. “The intervention, led by lay counsellors called SEHER mitras (friends), improved the school climate,” said Prachi Khandeparkar, programme director of the SEHER project run by Sangath, a non-profit organisation which works on mental health.

“We have few trained people and trained non-specialists from the community for identification and early referral,” said Dr Rajesh sagar, professor of psychiatry at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.