Abstract:
Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis are neglected tropical diseases
(NTDs) mostly prevalent in communities living in areas of poverty in developing
tropical countries. Currently, control programmes are based on regular co-administration
of praziquantel and albendazole or mebendazole focusing on school-age children
because they bear the greatest burden of infection. However, adult population was found
to have significant levels of both schistosomiasis and STH in areas of high endemicity
such as coastal and western Kenya. An operational research study undertaken during a
pilot control programme against STH and schistosomiasis in both school-aged children
and adult populations was implemented in 2010 in 5 villages in Kwale County, coastal
Kenya. Biological samples (urine, stool and blood) were regularly collected from both
the adults and children for purposes of monitoring and evaluation of the programme. The
current study, therefore, was conducted to evaluate factors associated with community
participation in the STH and schistosomiasis pilot control programme in Kwale and
related operational research. The study comprised of 220 households heads. Quantitative
data were analysed using SPSS (version16) program. Qualitative data were analysed
thematically. Response rate was 98.6%. About 157 (72.4%) were females while 60
(27.6%) were males, mean age was 38.7 years (SD 14.62). Among the social-economic
factors, religion and levels of income weresignificantly (P =0.04 and P=0.026
respectively) associated with participation in the research and control programme,
history of ever suffering from schistosomiasis and intestinal worms was found to be
significantly (P=0.008) associated with participation in the research. The study
established that 82% (178) of the respondents received treatment for urogenital
schistosomiasis and hookworms during the pilot control programme and 67% (146) of
the respondents had participated in the research. This information will be useful in
promoting health, enhancing learning and behaviour changes which will lead to
increased community participation in similar disease control programmes.
