Sociocultural considerations in schistosomiasis control: focus group data from 3 egyptian villages

Transmission, control, and prevention of schistosomiasis are linked with a range of individual and collective human behaviors, perceptions, and social and environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the social and cultural factors related to schistosomiasis transmission in three Egyptian villages where prevalence rates of diseases are high. Data reported are based on focus group interviews collected among children and adults. Topics discussed were knowledge about disease, transmission behaviors (risky behaviors), risk perceptions, prevention behaviors (response to risk), symptoms, treatment behaviors, treatment satisfaction, knowledge of prevention, source of information, and more general concerns and grievances. Both adults and children were concerned about schistosomiasis, and were knowledgeable about disease symptoms, transmission, control, and risky behaviors such as swimming in canals or polluting their banks. The adults were concerned with lack of collective solutions such as limited piped water supply, little sewage control, and governmental responsibility to solve village health problems. Findings support the notion that schistosomiasis transmission and control must be understood as sustained by environmental conditions and patterned sets of behaviors that are culturally embedded, their alteration a key to changing schistosomiasis' long history and widespread prevalence in Egypt.