Health Detective Game

This game aims to consolidate health knowledge among school children and disseminate health knowledge to the community. The health detective game is a practical epidemiological exercise in the form of a game. The instructor sets the exercise and instructs the children on this activity. S/he will identify a common disease (e.g. an infectious diseases) in the local area and offer clues on its cause. Then, s/he will instruct the children and their parents on where to search for the causes of the disease set in the exercise. The instructor will use E-learning to deliver the exercise (first session) and provide a printed copy to all participating in the game. This will include space to record information on the environment hazards and risk behaviour associated with the disease set in the exercise. School children in partnership with their parents will take on the role of a detective and will search for environmental and behavioural clues of causes of the disease (investigating the crime) in their home, school and/or community environment. They will be given two months to complete this task and return the recording form filled. Following (second session), all participants will assembly at school to work together under the coordination of the instructor to collate and analyse the information collected (solving the crime), and in identifying potential solutions to prevent the occurrence of new cases of the disease (crime prevention). The game promotes not only understanding of the causes of diseases (e.g. transmission of bacteria) but also insight and problem solving into the ‘causes of the causes’ of diseases and how to prevent it. For example, transmission of bacteria is the proximal cause of infectious diseases. Lack of sanitation, clean water and hygiene are the ‘causes of the causes’ of bacteria transmission. Hand washing helps preventing transmission of bacteria (crime prevention). The health detective game is run twice a year, and each game requires two sessions of 90 minutes. This activity may be run by a schoolteacher or the SAC.

The game promotes not only understanding of the causes of disease (i.e. transmission of bacteria) but also insight, critical thinking and problem solving into the ‘causes of the causes’ of disease. For example, transmission of bacteria is the proximal cause of infectious disease while lack of sanitation, clean water and poor hygiene are the ‘causes of the causes’ of bacterial transmission.