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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照顾者对塞内加尔城乡儿童疟疾、蠕虫感染和疟疾-蠕虫混合感染风险的认知：一项定性研究
DOI：
10.1101/2022.05.10.22274631
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发表时间：
2022
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Afolabi M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Afolabi M
导致疟疾、土壤传播蠕虫病和血吸虫病的寄生虫经常在低收入和中等收入国家的儿童中共存，在这些国家，控制这些疾病的现有垂直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，以实现有效控制和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接受，他们对疟疾和蠕虫合并感染的风险的看法几乎没有文献记载。因此，我们进行了一项定性研究，以了解照顾者对风险的看法，以及促进塞内加尔农村和城市流行社区的学龄前儿童和学龄儿童合并感染疟疾-蠕虫的行为和社会风险因素。2021年6月和12月，我们对从塞内加尔东南部萨拉亚村庄招募的儿童的100名主要照顾者以及塞内加尔西部迪乌贝勒的古兰经学校的领导人和教师进行了个人和集体访谈以及参与者观察。我们的发现表明，在这两个环境中的大多数研究参与者都表现出了对疟疾风险的高度感知和对洗手做法的可接受的认识，但他们错误地认为疟疾和蠕虫的共同感染是由于过度食用含糖食物和蚊子叮咬的组合。我们的观察揭示了房屋结构、厕所习惯以及用灰尘和沙子洗手的许多因素，照顾者并不认为这些因素有可能导致疟疾和蠕虫的混合感染。这些发现强调需要提高照料者对儿童中疟疾和蠕虫混合感染的存在和风险的认识。这种做法将有助于解决护理人员对合并感染发生的误解，并可加强他们对旨在实现控制和随后消除疟疾和蠕虫合并感染的战略干预措施的接受。
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.