Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Provincial Dwellers on Prevention and Control of Schistosomiasis: Evidence from a Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study in the Gambia

Table 1

Participants’ knowledge of prevention and control of schistosomiasis in CRR, the Gambia, 2019.

Variable	n (%)	Knowledge on schistosomiasis			value
		Good (14.9%)	Fair (30.8%)	Poor (54.3%)
Age of participants					0.009
Below 30	180 (47.0)	10.0	28.9	61.1
30–39	77 (20.1)	26.0	32.5	41.6
40 and above	126 (32.9)	15.1	32.5	52.4
Gender					0.164
Male	188 (49.1)	16.0	34.6	49.5
Female	195 (50.9)	13.8	27.2	59.0
Religion					0.049
Muslim	369 (96.3)	15.4	31.4	53.1
Christian	14 (3.7)	0.0	14.3	85.7
River close to your home					0.723
Yes	325 (84.9)	15.4	31.1	53.5
No	58 (35.1)	12.1	29.3	53.5
The distance of the river from your home (km) (n = 376)			0.007
2.0 and below	241 (62.9)	13.7	25.7	60.6
2.1 and above	135 (35.2)	15.6	40.0	44.4
Ever heard about bilharzia					<0.001
Yes	267 (69.7)	20.2	37.1	42.7
No	116 (30.3)	2.6	16.4	81.0
Risk factors for contracting bilharzia					<0.001
Contact with polluted river water with feces/urine	187 (48.8)	23.5	47.1	29.4
Body contact with an infected person	18 (4.7)	11.1	22.2	66.7
Walking across water barefooted	15 (3.9)	6.7	40.0	53.3
Eating unwashed fruits and vegetables	21 (5.5)	9.5	23.8	66.7
Do not know	142 (37.1)	5.6	10.6	83.8
Source of bilharzia					<0.001
From fecal/urine contaminated water/river	221 (57.9)	20.4	42.5	37.1
From fecal/urine contaminated soil	64 (16.8)	31.2	32.8	35.9
From playing in the rainfall	37 (9.7)	21.6	29.7	48.6
Jumping over a fire	21 (5.5)	33.3	38.1	28.6
Do not know	121 (31.7)	3.3	5.8	90.9
Important methods for prevention of bilharzia					<0.001
Proper disposal of human waste	75 (20.2)	14.7	33.3	52.0
Boiling water	80 (21.6)	33.8	41.2	25.0
Snail eradication	64 (17.3)	32.8	31.2	35.9
Proper disposal of general waste	42 (11.3)	7.1	45.2	47.6
Do not know	168 (45.3)	8.3	22.0	69.6
Complications from bilharzia					<0.001
Skin infection	118 (31.1)	22.0	37.3	44.4
Poor performance at school	99 (26.1)	16.2	39.4	44.4
Poor appetite	160 (42.1)	19.4	33.8	46.9
Mood swings	89 (23.4)	20.2	36.0	43.8
Do not know	72 (18.9)	1.4	12.5	86.1
How to manage bilharzia					0.237
To health-educate people about schistosomiasis	98 (25.6)	13.3	38.8	48.0
To go to the hospital for treatment	146 (63.7)	19.9	26.7	53.4
Avoid contact with dirty water	50 (76.8)	10.0	40.0	50.0
Maintain good personal hygiene	18 (81.5)	16.7	22.2	61.1
To use a herb called “Sinjango”	8 (83.6)	0.0	37.5	62.5
No response	9 (85.9)	11.1	11.1	77.8
I do not know or no idea	54 (85.9)	11.1	24.1	64.8

Statistical significance at . Multiple responses.