부산대학교 도서관

Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a poverty-related disease conditioned by behavioural practices. Methods: Our objective is to evaluate the awareness, mindset and habits about urogenital schistosomiasis in the community of Cubal (Angola), as well as its association with infection and urinary tract morbidity in pre-school age children. A cross-sectional study of knowledge, attitudes and practices at home was conducted between February and May 2022 with 250 participants. Results: Overall, 93.6% of those surveyed had some prior knowledge about schistosomiasis and, among all the symptoms associated with this disease, blood in the urine was the best known (54.4%). Nevertheless, 57.6% obtained a medium knowledge score. Regarding attitude, the majority of respondents had a high attitude score (79.2%) with 96.0% willing to participate in mass drug administration campaigns. Laundry in the river was the most common risk practice (61.2%) and 55.2% out of the total were classified with a low practice score. Conclusion: Low knowledge about symptoms and transmission by caregivers was the outstanding risk factor for infection in pre-school age children (OR = 16.93, 95%CI: 3.93–72.82), and lack of knowledge that avoiding entering the river prevents schistosomiasis was the main risk factor for morbidity in PSAC (OR = 8.14, 95%CI: 1.14–58.25). Author summary: Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases and, due to its transmission by infested water, it is particularly linked to the poverty of the populations suffering from it, since most of them do not have easy access to running water. The main activities aimed at interrupting the parasite cycle require community participation and acceptance for their implementation, and for this purpose, being aware of the practical, cultural and social determinants of the disease in a particular population is essential. In this sense, KAP (knowledge, attitudes and practices) surveys may reveal misconceptions or misunderstandings that could represent obstacles to the health empowerment of the population at risk and potential barriers to behaviour changes. This study shows the results of a baseline KAP survey in a region in Angola of high endemicity for urinary schistosomiasis, showing that the population's knowledge of the conditioning factors of the disease is intermediate and that poor knowledge and risk practices of caregivers of preschool children can represent a risk factor both for the infection of the children and for the development of the disease and its associated morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]