Clonorchis Sinensis Infection Experience in Residents Living in Riverside Areas

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to describe clonorchis sinensis infection experience in high risk populations living in riverside areas. The research question was "How do local residents perceive Clonorchiasis and how are they infected with the parasite". METHODS: Qualitative data were collected by focus group interviews with 16 participants from January to February, 2009. All the interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by the content analysis method. RESULTS: Five main categories were conceptualized, which were "lacking in understanding of Clonorchiasis," "culture of the rural community," "life style," "recovering experience from infection" and "change of health behavior." CONCLUSION: The result of this study indicates that residents are infected with Clonorchiasis through interaction between individual and group risky factors. Therefore, it is important to develop effective health education programs on both individual and group levels to prevent infection with Clonorchiasis.