Sociocultural Factors Affecting the Prevalence and Control of Lymphatic Filariasis in Lau Local Government Area, Taraba State

Abstract

The Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Structural Basis for Health Action theories were employed in assessing the factors associated with the prevalence of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and the feasibility of a control program using a mass chemotherapy approach, in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. Two communities with health facilities and one without a health facility were studied in 2003. A modified version of the WHO cluster sampling technique was used in the random selection of respondents. Clinical examination, questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview techniques were used in collecting the data. LF, involving elephantiasis and hydrocoele, is perceived as a severe disease in the communities, being ranked the 2nd and 3rd most severe respectively among the ten most common diseases in the communities. However a low perception of personal susceptibility to LF was identified among the people. The study also found serious gaps in understanding between knowledge of the cause of the disease and the means of its transmission. Very few people associated LF with mosquito bites. The treatments available and used by the people are predominantly traditional (scarifications and application of herbal preparations). Effective alternatives provided by the health system were lacking, even though about 97% of the people indicated willingness to take part in a mass chemotherapy program for the control of the disease. The two theories were useful in explaining the widespread prevalence of LF in the community and in understanding the health behavior of the people faced with the challenge of such a debilitating and stigmatizing disease. The health system has failed to provide an effective program to eliminate the disease. In the absence of a control or elimination program for LF, the people make use of traditional treatments both because of limited knowledge with regard to LF and the lack of effective care for those already affected and not because of lack of belief in the efficacy of modern treatment.