02033nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001260002300042653001400065653002100079653002100100653001900121653002100140653002100161100001600182700001500198700001500213700001200228245006500240300000800305520146500313022002501778       2023                            d  bInforma UK Limited10aEducation10aGeneral Medicine10aHealth Education10achild-to-child10aCommunity health10aHealth Promotion1 aPremkumar K1 aRamasamy R1 aRamasamy M1 aAiyer H00aLittle Doctors: Agents of change in Indian rural communities  a1-53 a<p>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.</p>
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