Survey of intestinal parasitic infections and related knowledge and behavior of residents in Jiaodong area of Shandong Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To understand the status of intestinal parasitic infections and the related knowledge and behavior in residents of Jiaodong area of Shandong Province,so as to provide the evidence for making an appropriate preventive and control strategy. Methods A total of 18 villages from 6 counties in Jiaodong area were selected as investigation sites according to the stratified sampling method. The feces samples of the permanent residents aged above 3 years were collected and examined by Kato-Katz technique to find the intestinal parasite eggs,and the children under 12 years old were examined by the method of cellophane anal swab to detect the Enterobius vermicularis eggs. In addition,50 households in each survey sites were randomly selected to in-vestigate the basic family situation and the condition of awareness on prevention knowledge and formation of correct behavior of res-idents by using a structured questionnaire. Results Totally 6 163 residents involved in the feces examinations,and the total in-fection rate of intestinal parasites was 6.91%. The infection rates of Trichuris trichiura,Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm were 6.56%,0.62%and 0.21%,respectively. The infection rate of E. vermicularis in children under 12 years old was 0.51%. The eggs of Clonorchis sinensis and Taenia solium were not found in this survey. The awareness rate of knowledge about preventing parasitic diseases was 49.54%. The formation rates of washing hands before eating,washing hands after using the toilet,never eating raw fruit and vegetable without washing clean,never working in the field with bare feet,and never drinking unboiled water were 97.78%,91.95%,88.81%,92.42%and 86.48%respectively. Conclusions The infection rate of intestinal parasites is low in Ji-aodong area,but there is a significant difference among different counties. The awareness rate of knowledge about preventing para-sitic diseases is low,but the formation rate of healthy behavior is high. In the future,the health education and the strategy of tak- ing medicine among the key population should be enhanced,and the project of reconstructing safe water supply and lavatory should be advanced.