TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors determining preventive chemotherapy uptake against soil-transmitted helminthiasis among school-age children in Ghana
AU - Ouédraogo, Jean Claude Romaric Pingdwindé
AU - Anto, Francis
AU - Addo-Lartey, Adolphina Addoley
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - By 2020, the World Health Organization and the Ghana Neglected Tropical Diseases programme intended to treat 75% and 100% of school-age children, respectively, during preventative chemotherapy (PCT), to control soil-transmitted helminths. The performance of PCT was assessed, and the factors associated with albendazole uptake in 2019 were determined. This study comprised secondary data (2019 PCT) and a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among 352 children aged from 7 to 14 years and enrolled with their caregivers. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors hindering or favouring the PCT uptake. According to surveillance data (2019 PCT), Krachi East Municipal reported coverage of 83% in schools and 40.9% for all children between 5 and 14 years. The cross-sectional data showed that the median child age was 11 years (IQR: 9–12). There was no gap in the estimates for coverage and uptake, which were both 90.9% (95%CI: 87.4–93.5%). Christians made up the majority of the caregivers (87.5%), and 48.0% had completed secondary or higher education. After controlling for potential confounders, caregiver religion (aOR = 0.07 95%CI: 0.01–0.36) and the perception of a child’s PCT risk (aOR = 0.33 95%CI: 0.13–0.84) were the significant barriers of PCT uptake, whereas the child’s age (aOR = 1.49 95%CI: 1.19–1.88) and the perception of a child’s PCT’s benefit (aOR = 10.26 95%CI: 2.57–40.95) were the significant facilitators among children 7–14 years old. Although the performance of PCT was high, the national treatment target was not attained. Intensive and focused health education is therefore needed to improve positive perceptions towards PCT for school-age children.
AB - By 2020, the World Health Organization and the Ghana Neglected Tropical Diseases programme intended to treat 75% and 100% of school-age children, respectively, during preventative chemotherapy (PCT), to control soil-transmitted helminths. The performance of PCT was assessed, and the factors associated with albendazole uptake in 2019 were determined. This study comprised secondary data (2019 PCT) and a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among 352 children aged from 7 to 14 years and enrolled with their caregivers. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors hindering or favouring the PCT uptake. According to surveillance data (2019 PCT), Krachi East Municipal reported coverage of 83% in schools and 40.9% for all children between 5 and 14 years. The cross-sectional data showed that the median child age was 11 years (IQR: 9–12). There was no gap in the estimates for coverage and uptake, which were both 90.9% (95%CI: 87.4–93.5%). Christians made up the majority of the caregivers (87.5%), and 48.0% had completed secondary or higher education. After controlling for potential confounders, caregiver religion (aOR = 0.07 95%CI: 0.01–0.36) and the perception of a child’s PCT risk (aOR = 0.33 95%CI: 0.13–0.84) were the significant barriers of PCT uptake, whereas the child’s age (aOR = 1.49 95%CI: 1.19–1.88) and the perception of a child’s PCT’s benefit (aOR = 10.26 95%CI: 2.57–40.95) were the significant facilitators among children 7–14 years old. Although the performance of PCT was high, the national treatment target was not attained. Intensive and focused health education is therefore needed to improve positive perceptions towards PCT for school-age children.
KW - PCT coverage
KW - PCT uptake
KW - Preventive chemotherapy (PCT)
KW - School-age children
KW - Soil-transmitted helminths
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140330567&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00436-022-07691-5
DO - 10.1007/s00436-022-07691-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 36264508
AN - SCOPUS:85140330567
SN - 0932-0113
VL - 121
SP - 3641
EP - 3651
JO - Parasitology Research
JF - Parasitology Research
IS - 12
ER -