Identification of High Risk Communities for Intestinal Schistosomiasis Using Questionnaires
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Date
1993-05
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Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
Through the Educational Administration off ice, a
total of 88 schools were screened in Western Gojjam
Region using self administrated questionnaires. From 88
recovered questionnaires, based on the defined criteria,
only 68 questionnaires were accepted as properly
completed. A total of 3580 students were interviewed
through their teachers in four weeks time.
From 3580 "indirectly" interviewed children,
prevalences of 10.4%, 30.6% and 9.0% were found for the
three markers; blood in stool, distended belly and
schistosomiasis respectively. From 600 children screened
parasitologicaly in 10 schools, over all 90
Schistosomiasis mansoni positives were found, yielding an
estimated 15% prevalence rate for the region. A higher
infection rate was found in males (17.5%) than females
(12.9%) with an odds ratio of 1.64. A positive pearson's
coefficient of correlation was found between the
questionnaire and parasitological approaches in assessing
the prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis in ten
schools. A coefficient of correlation of 0.89, 0.69, and
0 . 45 was found between the prevalence of schistosomiasis,
prevalence of blood in the stool, and prevalence of
distended belly respectively, and the parasitological
screening.
The indirect interview approach is not only
operationally feasible, it is
thirty times less costly
biomedical approach. The
also four times faster and
than the corresponding
possible use of the
questionnaire approach in the monitoring of ~. mansoni
infec tion is dis cussed.
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Keywords
Identification of High Risk Communities