Caregivers' perception of risk for malaria, helminth infection and malaria-helminth co-infection among children living in urban and rural settings of Senegal: A qualitative study.
Caregivers' perception of risk for malaria, helminth infection and malaria-helminth co-infection among children living in urban and rural settings of Senegal: A qualitative study.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pgph.0000525
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发表时间：
2022
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Ndiaye, Jean Louis A
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Afolabi, Muhammed O;Sougou, Ndeye Mareme;Diaw, Aminata;Sow, Doudou;Manga, Isaac A;Mbaye, Ibrahima;Greenwood, Brian;Ndiaye, Jean Louis A
引起疟疾、土壤传播蠕虫病和血吸虫病的寄生虫常常同时存在于低收入和中等收入国家的儿童体内，而这些国家现有的控制这些疾病的纵向控制方案没有达到最佳水平。这一差距要求制定和实施战略干预措施，以有效控制并最终消除这些合并感染。成功实施任何干预措施的核心是护理人员的接受和吸收，他们对疟疾-蠕虫合并感染风险的看法几乎没有记录。因此，我们进行了一项定性研究，以了解照顾者对风险以及行为和社会风险因素的看法，促进生活在塞内加尔流行的农村和城市社区的学龄前和学龄儿童之间的疟疾-蠕虫合并感染。2021年6月和12月，我们对100名从塞内加尔东南部Saraya村庄招募的儿童主要照顾者以及塞内加尔西部迪乌尔贝尔可兰经学校的领导和教师进行了个人和小组访谈以及参与者观察。我们的研究结果表明，两种环境中的大多数研究参与者表现出对疟疾风险的高感知和对洗手习惯的可接受意识，但误解疟疾-蠕虫合并感染是由于过度食用含糖食物和蚊子叮咬的结合。我们的观察揭示了房屋结构，厕所习惯和用灰烬和沙子洗手的许多因素，护理人员并不认为这些因素是疟疾蠕虫合并感染的风险。这些研究结果强调，需要提高照顾者对儿童中疟疾和蠕虫合并感染的存在和风险的认识。这一办法将有助于消除照顾者对合并感染的误解，并可使他们更好地理解旨在控制和随后消除疟疾和蠕虫合并感染的战略干预措施。
The parasites causing malaria, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis frequently co-exist in children living in low-and middle-income countries, where existing vertical control programmes for the control of these diseases are not operating at optimal levels. This gap necessitates the development and implementation of strategic interventions to achieve effective control and eventual elimination of these co-infections. Central to the successful implementation of any intervention is its acceptance and uptake by caregivers whose perception about the risk for malaria-helminth co-infection has been little documented. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative study to understand the caregivers’ perspectives about the risk as well as the behavioural and social risk factors promoting malaria-helminth co-infection among pre-school and school-age children living in endemic rural and urban communities in Senegal. In June and December 2021, we conducted individual and group interviews, and participant observations, among 100 primary caregivers of children recruited from Saraya villages in southeast Senegal and among leaders and teachers of Koranic schools in Diourbel, western Senegal. Our findings showed that a majority of the study participants in the two settings demonstrated a high level of perception of risk for malaria and acceptable awareness about handwashing practices, but had misconceptions that malaria-helminth co-infection was due to a combination of excessive consumption of sugary food and mosquito bites. Our observations revealed many factors in the house structures, toilet practices and handwashing with ashes and sands, which the caregivers did not consider as risks for malaria-helminth co-infections. These findings underscore the need to promote caregivers’ awareness about the existence and risk of malaria-helminth co-infection in children. This approach would assist in addressing the caregivers’ misconceptions about the occurrence of the co-infection and could enhance their uptake of the strategic interventions targeted at achieving control and subsequent elimination of malaria and helminth co-infection.