National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR), Bangalore, India (Gosh and Tiwari); Community Health Cell, Bangalore, India (Patil); National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR), Delhi, India (Dash); Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme [WHO, UNDP], Orissa, India (Patil)

According to this research, Kalajatha, a popular, traditional art form of folk theatre depicting various life processes of a local socio-cultural setting, is an effective medium of mass communication in the Indian sub-continent, especially in rural areas. The document describes using this medium to carry out a community-based health education programme for bio-environmental malaria control.

As stated in the document, in India, there is no standard format for delivering health education messages on malaria. Many conventional methods such as posters, pamphlets, hoardings, and electronic media, have limited effects on the rural community due to low literacy rate. Thus, Kalajatha has been used experimentally as a medium of mass communication to assist the malaria control programme. In December 2001, the Kalajatha events were performed in the evening hours for two weeks in a malaria-affected district in Karnataka State, southern India. Thirty local artists, including ten governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), actively participated. The impact of this programme was assessed after two months.


The authors describe the following preparations: "A local scriptwriter wrote 8 songs, two dramas and 4 rupakas (musical dramas). The scripts were based on various aspects of malaria namely signs and symptoms of sickness, treatment, health facilities, processes of transmission, role of anopheles mosquitoes and names of the malaria vectors, breeding grounds of mosquitoes especially the vectors, its control strategies focusing especially on larvivorous fish (Poecilia reticulata and Gambusia affinis) and environmental management. Other control strategies like insecticide-treated nets, adopting measures for maintaining general hygiene, keeping cleanliness in and around houses, and the role of the community were also included in the script. These were then translated into skits using local dialects, musical styles and theatre traditions. In the beginning, the artists underwent orientation training on the entire processes. Two troupes consisting of 15 artists each were formed."


With community consent obtained from the village headmen or Panchayat presidents, local village administrators (Gram Panchayat) gave advance publicity, which drew villagers voluntarily to the events. Local media followed up with reporting on the events and key messages.


Impact assessments, held in the focus villages and a random group of villages using semi-structured interviews, showed that "exposed respondents significantly gained new knowledge about malaria, its symptoms, transmission and control methodologies (P < 0.001). They could easily associate clean water with anopheline breeding and recall the names and the role of larvivorous fish guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and Gambusia affinis in control of malaria vectors. However, immediate behavioural changes especially in maintenance of general hygiene were not observed... [T]he first essential step towards achieving behaviour change communication in the community was achieved by providing correct and scientific information on malaria control and prevention through the innovative and traditional medium that the rural community best identified. Implementation of control measures by the authorities would enhance the community's acceptance and bring about major behavioural changes so as to avoid mosquito borne diseases."

Malaria Journal, 5:123, 2006.