Table 2. Knowledge about causes, symptoms and prevention methods of intestinal parasitic infections perceived by 345 household heads in Abaye Deneba kebele area, Central Ethiopia, 2008.
| Knowledge about different aspects of intestinal parasites | Names of parasites |
||||
| Ascariasis | Taeniasis | Schistosomiasis | Amoebiasis | Giardiasis | |
| Cause of parasitic infection (n=345) | |||||
| Don't know | 128 (37.2) | 67 (19.5) | 63 (18.3) | 84 (24.4) | 68 (19.8) |
| Contaminated water | 94 (27.3) | 12 (3.5) | 64 (18.6) | 78 (22.7) | 204 (59.3) |
| Contaminated food | 35 (10.2) | 16 (4.7) | 4 (1.2) | 44 (12.8) | 6 (1.7) |
| Unboiled milk | 31 (9.0) | 94 (27.3) | ----- | 8 (2.3) | ----- |
| Raw meat | 26 (7.6) | 50 (14.5) | ----- | 19 (5.5) | ----- |
| Soil | 21 (6.1) | ----- | ----- | ------ | ----- |
| Luck of food | 20 (5.8) | 1 (0.3) | ----- | 8 (2.3) | ----- |
| Eating sorghum, wheat, bread, vegetable | 9 (2.6) | 5 (1.5) | ----- | 109 (31.7) | ----- |
| Bath in river | ----- | ----- | 5 (1.5) | ----- | ----- |
| Sexual intercourse | ----- | ----- | ----- | 27 (7.9) | ----- |
| Others (evil eye, inborn, hygiene etc.) | 19 (5.5) | 6 (1.7) | ----- | 29 (8.4) | ----- |
| Common symptoms (n=345) | |||||
| Don't know | 12 (3.5) | 12 (3.5) | 3 (0.3) | 11 (3.2) | 48 (14.0) |
| Abdominal discomfort | 289 (84.0) | 103 (29.9) | 13 (3.8) | 296 (86.1) | 132 (38.4) |
| Worm expel | 30 (8.7) | 39 (11.3) | ----- | ----- | ----- |
| Back pain, headache | ----- | ----- | 3 (0.9) | 6 (1.7) | 7 (2.0) |
| weight loss, weakness | 5 (1.5) | 8 (2.3) | 1 (0.3) | ----- | 7 (2.0) |
| Enlargement of stomach | 21 (6.1) | 10 (2.9) | ----- | ----- | ----- |
| Increasing appetite | 43 (12.5) | 10 (2.9) | ----- | 2 (0.6) | ----- |
| Skin change | ----- | 10 (2.9) | 1 (0.3) | ----- | ----- |
| Other (fever, bloody urine or diarrhea) | ----- | ----- | 2 (0.6) | 10 (2.9) | ----- |
| Preventive methods | |||||
| Don't know | 133 (38.7) | 75 (21.8) | 70 (20.4) | 102 (29.7) | 78 (22.7) |
| Avoid using contaminated water | 56 (16.3) | 5 (1.5) | 49 (14.2) | 58 (16.9) | 176 (51.2) |
| Cook vegetables & hygienic practices | 29 (8.4) | 19 (5.5) | 2 (0.6) | 96 (27.9) | 4 (1.2) |
| Avoid raw meat consumption | 33 (9.6) | 32 (9.3) | ----- | ----- | ----- |
| Boil milk | 20 ( 5.8) | 40 (11.6) | ----- | ----- | ----- |
| Treatment/drug | 47 (13.7) | 55 (16.0) | 6 (1.7) | 44 (12.8) | 14 (4.1) |
| Using latrine | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | ----- | 3 (0.9) | ----- |
| Other (avoid soil, milk, fatty food, sex) | 18 (5.2) | 10 (2.9) | ----- | 30 (8.7) | ----- |
Numbers in brackets are percentages.