Guilherme Lichand

All Publications

• Participatory Disease Surveillance for the Early Detection of Cholera-Like Diarrheal Disease Outbreaks in Rural Villages in Malawi: Prospective Cohort Study. JMIR public health and surveillance Valerio, M. G., Laher, B., Phuka, J., Lichand, G., Paolotti, D., Leal Neto, O. 2024; 10: e49539

  Abstract

  Cholera-like diarrheal disease (CLDD) outbreaks are complex and influenced by environmental factors, socioeconomic conditions, and population dynamics, leading to limitations in traditional surveillance methods. In Malawi, cholera is considered an endemic disease. Its epidemiological profile is characterized by seasonal patterns, often coinciding with the rainy season when contamination of water sources is more likely. However, the outbreak that began in March 2022 has extended to the dry season, with deaths reported in all 29 districts. It is considered the worst outbreak in the past 10 years.This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of participatory surveillance (PS) using interactive voice response (IVR) technology for the early detection of CLDD outbreaks in Malawi.This longitudinal cohort study followed 740 households in rural settings in Malawi for 24 weeks. The survey tool was designed to have 10 symptom questions collected every week. The proxies' rationale was related to exanthematic, ictero-hemorragica for endemic diseases or events, diarrhea and respiratory/targeting acute diseases or events, and diarrhea and respiratory/targeting seasonal diseases or events. This work will focus only on the CLDD as a proxy for gastroenteritis and cholera. In this study, CLDD was defined as cases where reports indicated diarrhea combined with either fever or vomiting/nausea.During the study period, our data comprised 16,280 observations, with an average weekly participation rate of 35%. Maganga TA had the highest average of completed calls, at 144.83 (SD 10.587), while Ndindi TA had an average of 123.66 (SD 13.176) completed calls. Our findings demonstrate that this method might be effective in identifying CLDD with a notable and consistent signal captured over time (R2=0.681404). Participation rates were slightly higher at the beginning of the study and decreased over time, thanks to the sensitization activities rolled out at the CBCCs level. In terms of the attack rates for CLDD, we observed similar rates between Maganga TA and Ndindi TA, at 16% and 15%, respectively.PS has proven to be valuable for the early detection of epidemics. IVR technology is a promising approach for disease surveillance in rural villages in Africa, where access to health care and traditional disease surveillance methods may be limited. This study highlights the feasibility and potential of IVR technology for the timely and comprehensive reporting of disease incidence, symptoms, and behaviors in resource-limited settings.

  View details for DOI 10.2196/49539

  View details for PubMedID 39012690

• Neglecting students' socio-emotional skills magnified learning losses during the pandemic. NPJ science of learning Lichand, G., Christen, J., Egeraat, E. V. 2024; 9 (1): 28

  Abstract

  Did the dramatic learning losses from remote learning in the context of COVID-19 stem at least partly from schools having overlooked students' socio-emotional skills-such as their ability to self-regulate emotions, their mental models, motivation, and grit-during the emergency transition to remote learning? We study this question using a cluster-randomized control trial with 18,256 high-school students across 87 schools in the State of Goiás, Brazil. The intervention sent behavioral nudges through text messages to students or their caregivers, targeting their socio-emotional skills during remote learning. Here we show that these messages significantly increased standardized test scores relative to the control group, preventing 7.5% of learning losses in math and 24% in Portuguese, consistent with the hypothesis that neglecting students' socio-emotional skills magnified learning losses during the pandemic.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41539-024-00235-9

  View details for PubMedID 38594315

  View details for PubMedCentralID 9391221

• The lasting impacts of remote learning in the absence ofremedial policies: Evidence from Brazil PNAS Lichand, G., Dória, C. 2024; 121 (22): 1-9

  View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.2316300121

• Nudging parents and teachers to improve learning and reduce child labor in Cote d'Ivoire. NPJ science of learning Wolf, S., Lichand, G. 2023; 8 (1): 37

  Abstract

  Whether SMS-based nudge interventions can increase parent engagement and improve child learning outcomes across diverse contexts such as rural West Africa is unknown. We conducted a school-randomized trial to test the impacts of an audio or text-message intervention (two messages per week for one school year) to parents and teachers of second and fourth grade students (N=100 schools, 2246 students) in Cote d'Ivoire. Schools were randomly assigned to have messages sent to (i) parents only, (ii) teachers only, (iii) parents and teachers together, or (iv) control. There were statistically non-significant impacts of the parents-only treatment on learning, although with typical effect sizes (d=0.08, p=0.158), and marginally statistically significant increases in child labor (d=0.11, p<0.10). We find no impacts of the other treatment conditions. Subgroup analyses based on pre-registered subgroups show significantly larger improvements in learning for children with below-median baseline learning levels for the parents-only arm and negative impacts on learning for girls for the teachers-only arm, suggesting different conclusions regarding impacts on equity for vulnerable children.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41539-023-00180-z

  View details for PubMedID 37704694

• Sociodemographic predictors of depression and anxiety symptomatology among parents in rural Cote d'Ivoire JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS Kumar, A., Bartoli, B., Lichand, G., Wolf, S. 2023; 338: 1-9

  Abstract

  In Côte d'Ivoire, cocoa farming is a widespread practice in rural households, an occupation with increased risks of depression and anxiety exacerbated by economic instability. We used the Goldberg-18 Depression and Anxiety diagnostic tool to identify predictors of depressive and anxiety symptomatology among a sample of parents in rural cocoa farming communities.In a cross-sectional survey, the Goldberg-18 was administered to Ivorian parents (N = 2471). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to confirm the factor structure of the assessment tool, and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression with clustered standard errors was used to identify sociodemographic predictors of symptomatology.CFA showed adequate fit statistics for a two-factor model measuring depressive and anxiety symptoms. Among respondents, 87 % screened positive for requiring further referral for clinical diagnosis. Sociodemographic predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms were similar for males and females. For the total sample, higher monthly income, more years of education, and belonging to the Mandinka ethnic group predicted fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, higher depressive and anxiety symptomatology were associated with age. Single marital status predicted increased anxiety but not depressive symptoms for the full sample model and the female only sample, but not the male sample.This is a cross-sectional study.The Goldberg-18 measures distinct domains of depressive and anxiety symptoms in a rural Ivorian sample. Age and single marital status are predictors of increased symptoms. Higher monthly income, higher education, and certain ethnic affiliations are protective factors.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.060

  View details for Web of Science ID 001019629200001

  View details for PubMedID 37245553