OBJECTIVES: We examined the level of awareness about Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) among school-aged children in a rural district of India and evaluated the effects of a questionnaire-based survey in improving the level of awareness.

METHODS: The study involved 8,646 students aged 10-16 years from 20 schools in West Midnapore, India which was conducted in August 2017. We examined changes in the level of awareness of RHD using a 29-point scoring system in seven domains. The baseline questionnaire survey assessed students' knowledge and was followed by a multimedia presentation about RHD and a post-intervention survey using the same questionnaire. The questionnaire included 9 questions on different aspects of RHD including prevalence, nature of disease, symptoms, determinants, treatment options, impact of the disease and diagnosis.

RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 13 years and 46% were boys. At baseline, the mean level of knowledge about RHD was 42% (12.2 out of 29 points). After the school-based presentation, the score improved to a mean of 55% (15.9 points on the 29-point scale), a 31% relative improvement. Improvement in students' knowledge was noted across all seven domains, individually and combined (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Awareness among children in rural India about RHD is modest. A school-based intervention could help in improving awareness about this chronic condition and may promote secondary prophylaxis to reduce the morbidity and mortality from RHD.