Urogenital schistosomiasis: prevalence, knowledge and practices among women of reproductive age in Northern Tanzania

Abstract

To determine the prevalence, knowledge and practices regarding urogenital schistosomiasis among women of reproductive age in Kileo Ward, Mwanga District. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the dispensary in Kileo Village, Mwanga District. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to participants to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics and schistosomiasis-related knowledge and practices. Urine samples were examined for schistosoma eggs using the urine sedimentation technique. Data collected were cleaned, coded and entered into SPSS Version 20 for analysis. Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test were used for analysis. Overall prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis was 2.3%. The prevalence was higher among participants aged ≥18 years (3.2%), those who did domestic chores in river water (13.3%), and those who swam in river water (7.1%). Only a few participants had a low level of knowledge (4.8%) and poor practices (1.9%) regarding urogenital schistosomiasis. The transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis was low among women of reproductive age in the study area. Despite a high level of knowledge and good practices for urogenital schistosomiasis, there are knowledge gaps regarding its causes and risk factors.