Crato

This research aims to evaluate how active health education methods can increase the number of schoolchildren getting the HPV vaccine. The study addresses a recent drop in HPV vaccine adherence among young people in Brazil. It involves 80 schools and 5,000 students, using a stepped-wedge design where clusters of schools are randomized every two months to one of four different interventions. The study compares four approaches active training for both students and teachers, active training for students only, a nurse-led vaccination orientation session in schools, and usual care without specific interventions. Teacher training includes 30 hours of online self-instruction focused on vaccination, while students receive education and active vaccination efforts over two months. Each intervention is applied to clusters of schools in a randomized sequence. Participants are schoolchildren aged 9 to 14 years. Researchers will measure vaccination rates, including the proportion receiving at least one dose and those completing the full HPV vaccine series, along with tracking vaccination refusals among students and teachers over 12 months. The study monitors these outcomes following the interventions to understand their impact on vaccine coverage and refusal rates.