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Prevalence of intestinal parasites versus knowledge, attitudes, and practices of inhabitants of low-income communities of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

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Abstract

Intestinal parasites are the causative agents of common infections responsible for significant public health problems in developing countries and generally linked to lack of sanitation, safe water, and improper hygiene. More than two billion people throughout the world live with unrelenting illness due to intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs). The purposes of this study are to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices on IPIs and investigate the relationship with prevalence of intestinal parasites among a low-income group of inhabitants from two communities of the Travessão District area, Campos dos Goytacazes, north of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The two communities are known as “Parque Santuário,” which is an urban slum with miserable living conditions, and “Arraial,” where the socioeconomic and educational levels are better, neither having a sanitary infrastructure with an excreta collection system. Questionnaires revealed that both communities had local and specific codification to denominate the intestinal parasites and present correct knowledge on the theme but ignored some aspects of IPI transmission, with the Arraial population being better informed (p < 0.05). The overall prevalence of IPIs in Parque Santuário (49.7%) was greater than in Arraial (27.2%) (p < 0.001; prevalence ratio/95% confidence interval 1.83/1.50–2.23). This study reports the real IPI situation in the Travessão District and also reinforces the need to continue the investigation on the impact of combined prophylactic methods, educational measures, and socioeconomic and sanitary improvements by governmental authorities and the local popular organization.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the administrative staff of the Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, UENF; to Coordinator Prof. Christovam Cardoso and to the Nursing Course students of the Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, UNIVERSO, Campos dos Goytacazes, for the participation in the data collection of the residents of the communities; to Dr. José Carlos Mendonça of the Laboratório de Engenharia Agrícola—LEAG/CCTA/UENF for the climatic data from PESAGRO weather station, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ; to Dr. Sérgio Luís de Andrade Peixoto, Dr. Raquel Montesano de Carvalho, Dr. Camila Ribeiro Lantiman, and the technical staff from the Hospital de Travessão; to Dr. José Manuel Moreira, Director of Fundação Dr João Barcellos Martins; to Luciana Cordeiro de Araújo and the technical staff from Laboratório Regional de Patologia Clínica, Hospital Geral de Guarús, Fundação Dr. Geraldo da Silva Venâncio and to the technical staff of the Laboratório de Análises Clínicas Plínio Bacelar for making the clinical and laboratorial examinations of individuals possible; to Ms. Elizabeth Tudesco Costa Tinoco from the Epidemiology Division of Municipal Secretariat of Health for the operational support; to Dr. Eduardo Costa, Director of Farmanguinhos, FIOCRUZ, for the antiparasitaires drug donation used in the treatment of infected individuals; to Drs. Fátima Cecchetto, Otávio Sarmento Pieri, and Renato Augusto Damatta for the critical revision of the manuscript and for the English review and revision by Mitchell Raymond Lishon, native of Chicago, IL, USA (UCLA 1969).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ecoepidemiologia e Controle da Esquistossomose e Geohelmintoses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Antonio Henrique A. de Moraes Neto, Adriana P. M. F. Pereira & Maria de Fátima L. Alencar

  2. Laboratório de Informação em Saúde, Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Paulo R. B. Souza-Júnior

  3. Laboratório de Pesquisas Clínicas Plínio Bacelar, 28010-076, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Rodrigo C. Dias

  4. Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microorganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), 28013-602, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Juliana G. Fonseca & João C. A. Almeida

  5. Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), 28013-602, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Clóvis P. Santos

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  1. Antonio Henrique A. de Moraes Neto
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  2. Adriana P. M. F. Pereira
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  3. Maria de Fátima L. Alencar
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  6. Juliana G. Fonseca
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  7. Clóvis P. Santos
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  8. João C. A. Almeida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio Henrique A. de Moraes Neto.

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Acknowledgments of funding

This work was supported by Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (MCT-CNPq), Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) (grants E-26/170.711/2007 and E-26/100.226/2009), and Pró-Reitoria de Extensão e Assuntos Comunitários (PROEX) da Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF).

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de Moraes Neto, A.H.A., Pereira, A.P.M.F., Alencar, M.L. et al. Prevalence of intestinal parasites versus knowledge, attitudes, and practices of inhabitants of low-income communities of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Parasitol Res 107, 295–307 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1861-7

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