Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of human intestinal helminths (worms) in two rural communities in Nyanza Province, Western Kenya.

Six common health problems prevalent in two rural communities-Buoye and Kanyawegi Sublocations--of Kisumu District, in Western Kenya, were selected and the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the communities investigated with special reference to human intestinal helminths (worms). The selected diseases were malaria, diarrhoea, human intestinal helminths, scabies, schistosomiasis, and measles. The selection of the six health problems was based on a previous more general KAP study of health and disease at household level in the two areas and information from the Medical Officer of Health in the area. The specific objective was to assess the perceived importance of intestinal worms vis-a-vis other common and known health problems in the community. The study included an analysis of responses to questions on human intestinal worms broken down by sex, age and education level of respondents as well as identification and perceived health effects of a set of vectors and parasites of common diseases in the area. Compared with the other five health problems, intestinal worms did not rank highly in people's minds as an important health problem, although very high proportions of respondents knew of the problem, notably the young and educated. This high proportion of respondents who knew of the problem could describe the symptoms with some accuracy and could correctly identify the vectors and parasite samples. But the full implications of intestinal worms were not fully appreciated. Both communities reflected relatively poor comprehension of causes, treatment and methods of prevention.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)