Investigator(s)
| WHO Technical Officer |
Mokryeon Cho WHO Timor-Leste County office Mokryeon Cho 
|
| Principal Investigator |
Bagas Bintoro Gedung Penelitian dan Pengembangan FKKMK UGM Bagas Bintoro
|
| Co-Investigator(s) |
Shita Listyadewi Gedung Penelitian dan Pengembangan FKKMK UGM Shita Listyadewi
|
| Co-Investigator(s) |
Jaime dos Reis Belo Lic. SP Ministry of Health Jaime dos Reis Belo Lic. SP
|
Title(s) and abstract
| Scientific title | Impact on Health Behaviours and Outcomes among School-aged Children in Timor-Leste: Evaluation of the “Say No to 5S” Initiative |
| Public title | Impact on Health Behaviours and Outcomes among School-aged Children in Timor-Leste: Evaluation of the “Say No to 5S” Initiative |
| Background | The Say No to 5S initiative is a multi‑year programme in Timor‑Leste addressing key health and behavioural risks among school-aged children: Starvation, Soil-Transmitted Helminths, Skin Diseases, Smoking, and consumption of Sugary or Alcoholic Drinks. Its core component is the Primary Health Care Package (PHCP) for students aged 6–14, aligned with WHO’s Health‑Promoting Schools framework. The PHCP includes deworming, anthropometric measurements, screening and treatment for common conditions, health information collection, and promotion of healthy diets, physical activity, and WASH practices. The initiative targets 300,000 students in 1,300 schools and is supported by large-scale capacity building, including the training of nearly 2,000 health workers and 3,400 teachers, followed by a nationwide roll‑out that began in November 2024. Monitoring aligns with the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). A rigorous endline evaluation revisiting baseline indicators and applying mixed methods will assess programme impact, strengthen school health systems, and guide sustainability planning. |
| Objectives | The objective of the endline survey is to assess changes in impact and outcome/output-level indicators since baseline, serving as a point of comparison to measure the overall effectiveness of the intervention at completion. The endline findings will be used to evaluate the results of the Say No to 5S programme, assess progress against programme objectives, and generate evidence to inform programme learning, accountability, and future scale-up or policy decisions. |
| Study Methods | This study will use a mixed method, repeated cross-sectional design aligned with WHO standards for school health research. The endline quantitative survey will be specifically designed to be fully comparable to the 2022 baseline survey (SAY NO TO 5S in Schools, Timor-Leste), by using the same core indicators, sampling frame structure, data collection tools, and analytical methods. This approach enables robust comparison of changes over time associated with the intervention. The qualitative component of the endline survey is designed to complement the quantitative findings by exploring implementation processes, contextual factors, and stakeholder perspectives, and is not intended to be directly comparable to the baseline in terms of design or measurement. |
| Expected outcomes and use of results | This evaluation will provide rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of a large-scale, first-of-its-kind school health program in a low-resource setting, support evidence-based policy strengthening, enhance intersectoral coordination (health-education), and inform sustainable integration of health-promoting schools approaches to reduce adolescent health risks and improve educational outcomes regionally and globally. |
| Keywords | evaluation, endline survey, school health, timor leste, screening, deworming |
Research Details
| Student research | No |
| Start Date | 19-Feb-2026 |
| End Date | 31-Mar-2026 |
| Key Implementing Institution | Center for Health Policy and Management UGM |
| Multi-country research | No |
| Nationwide research | Yes |
| Research Domain(s) | Maternal, Reproductive and Child Health |
| Research field(s) | Child Health, Non-communicable Disease |
| Involves human subjects | Yes |
| Intervention Evaluation Research | |
| Data Collection | Primary data |
| Proposal reviewed by other Committee | Under Review |