BACKGROUND: S
chistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease affecting nearly 240 million people globally, remains entrenched in communities with poor access to safe water and sanitation. Between 2021 and 2022, the World Health Organisation reported a 5% rise in the global need for preventive treatment, with Africa bearing 90% of the burden.
OBJECTIVE:
This study assessed community knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding schistosomiasis and evaluated the impact of an educational intervention.
METHODS:
A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Structured pre- and post-intervention interviews were conducted with residents aged 18-65 years living within 5 km of selected water bodies. Data were captured in QuestionPro and analysed using Microsoft Excel 365 (2019) and R (version 4.3.1).
RESULTS:
Of 380 participants (51.1% male, 48.7% female, 0.3% no response), 91.3% had no prior knowledge of schistosomiasis at baseline. Post-intervention, awareness reached 100%. Pre-intervention analysis revealed a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude ( = 0.23, < 0.001), with knowledgeable individuals more likely to seek treatment and adopt preventive measures. However, post-intervention data showed a negative correlation between attitudes and practices (r = -0.13, = 0.013), indicating that some participants persisted in high-risk water contact despite improved attitudes.
CONCLUSION:
The intervention markedly improved awareness and attitudes but did not fully eliminate risky behaviours. This gap underscores the need for sustained context-specific behavioural change strategies that move beyond knowledge transfer to address ingrained practices. Embedding long-term community engagement into schistosomiasis control programmes is critical to breaking transmission cycles.
BT - Infectious diseases (London, England) C1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41920777 DA - 04/2026 DO - 10.1080/23744235.2026.2650617 J2 - Infect Dis (Lond) LA - ENG M3 - Article N2 -BACKGROUND: S
chistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease affecting nearly 240 million people globally, remains entrenched in communities with poor access to safe water and sanitation. Between 2021 and 2022, the World Health Organisation reported a 5% rise in the global need for preventive treatment, with Africa bearing 90% of the burden.
OBJECTIVE:
This study assessed community knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding schistosomiasis and evaluated the impact of an educational intervention.
METHODS:
A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Structured pre- and post-intervention interviews were conducted with residents aged 18-65 years living within 5 km of selected water bodies. Data were captured in QuestionPro and analysed using Microsoft Excel 365 (2019) and R (version 4.3.1).
RESULTS:
Of 380 participants (51.1% male, 48.7% female, 0.3% no response), 91.3% had no prior knowledge of schistosomiasis at baseline. Post-intervention, awareness reached 100%. Pre-intervention analysis revealed a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude ( = 0.23, < 0.001), with knowledgeable individuals more likely to seek treatment and adopt preventive measures. However, post-intervention data showed a negative correlation between attitudes and practices (r = -0.13, = 0.013), indicating that some participants persisted in high-risk water contact despite improved attitudes.
CONCLUSION:
The intervention markedly improved awareness and attitudes but did not fully eliminate risky behaviours. This gap underscores the need for sustained context-specific behavioural change strategies that move beyond knowledge transfer to address ingrained practices. Embedding long-term community engagement into schistosomiasis control programmes is critical to breaking transmission cycles.
PY - 2026 SP - 1 EP - 14 T2 - Infectious diseases (London, England) TI - Knowledge to action: assessing the impact of schistosomiasis education on community knowledge, attitudes and practices in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa UR - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23744235.2026.2650617 SN - 2374-4243 ER -