Table 5 Association of caregivers’ perceptions and practices regarding schistosomiasis with infection status among themselves and their children

Perceptions

 Is the current national schistosomiasis treatment programme important? (Yes)

501 (99.8)

69 (100)

432 (99.8)

0.689

303 (99.7)

57 (100)

246 (99.6)

0.630

Which group is most likely infected?^c

 Children aged ≤ 5 years

242 (48.1)

34 (49.3)

208 (48.0)

0.848

152 (50.0)

21 (36.8)

131 (53.0)

0.028*

 School-aged children

387 (77.1)

50 (72.5)

337 (77.8)

0.325

226 (74.3)

47 (82.5)

179 (72.5)

0.120

 Adult women

97 (19.3)

19 (27.5)

78 (18.0)

0.063

56 (18.4)

9 (15.8)

47 (19.0)

0.570

 Adult men

64 (12.8)

13 (18.8)

51 (11.8)

0.102

39 (12.8)

3 (5.3)

36 (14.6)

0.058**

 Girls

76 (15.1)

12 (17.4)

64 (14.8)

0.574

45 (14.8)

6 (10.5)

39 (15.8)

0.313

 Boys

86 (17.1)

14 (20.3)

72 (16.6)

0.453

49 (16.1)

8 (14.0)

41 (16.6)

0.635

Practices

 Domestic source of water

  Borehole

337 (63.0)

34 (47.9)

303 (65.3)

0.005*

207 (63.7)

32 (52.5)

175 (66.3)

0.043*

  Dam

13 (2.4)

2 (2.8)

11 (2.4)

0.820

6 (1.9)

0 (0)

6 (2.3)

0.235

  River

110 (20.6)

27 (38.0)

83 (17.9)

< 0.001*

68 (20.9)

12 (19.7)

56 (21.2)

0.790

  Well

153 (28.6)

24 (33.8)

129 (27.8)

0.297

98 (30.2)

23(37.7)

75 (28.4)

0.154

 Place of doing laundry

  River

395 (73.8)

57 (80.3)

338 (72.8)

0.670

232 (71.4)

42 (68.9)

190 (72.0)

0.518

  Dam

32 (6.0)

2 (2.8)

30 (6.5)

21 (6.5)

4 (6.6)

17 (6.4)

  Garden well

20 (3.7)

2 (2.8)

18 (3.9)

12 (3.7)

1 (1.6)

11 (4.2)

  Borehole

15 (2.8)

2 (2.8)

13 (2.8)

11 (3.4)

4 (6.6)

7 (2.7)

  Well at home

73 (13.6)

8 (11.3)

65 (14.0)

49 (15.1)

10 (16.4)

39 (14.8)

 Laundry time

  Morning

306 (57.2)

39 (54.9)

267 (57.5)

0.204

180 (55.4)

37 (60.7)

143 (54.2)

0.651

  Afternoon

191 (35.7)

30 (42.3)

161 (34.7)

122(37.5)

20 (32.8)

102 (38. 6)

  Late afternoon

38 (7.1)

2(2.8)

36 (7.8)

23 (7.1)

4 (6.6)

19 (7.2)

 Bathing place

  River

199 (37.2)

37 (52.1)

162 (34.9)

0.034*

114 (35.1)

29 (47.5)

85 (32.2)

0.123

  Dam

5 (0.93)

1 (1.4)

4 (0.9)

5 (1.5)

0 (0)

5 (1.9)

  Garden well

7 (1.3)

2 (2.8)

5 (1.1)

6 (1.9)

2 (3.3)

4 (1.5)

  Borehole

18 (3.4)

2 (2.8)

16 (3.5)

11 (3.4)

2 (3.3)

9 (3.4)

  Protected well

306 (57.2)

29 (40.9)

277 (59.7)

189 (58.2)

28 (45.9)

161 (61.0)

 Bathing time

  Morning

28 (5.2)

3 (4.2)

25 (5.4)

0.452

17 (5.2)

2 (3.3)

15 (5.7)

0.174

  Afternoon

110 (20.6)

11 (15.5)

99 (21.3)

73 (22.5)

9 (14.8)

64 (24.2)

  Late afternoon

397 (74.2)

57 (80.3)

340 (73.3)

235 (72.3)

50 (82.0)

185 (70.1)

 Child goes with mother to the river for laundry

  Yes

362 (67.7)

60 (84.5)

302 (65.1)

0.003*

213 (65.5)

42 (68.9)

171 (64.8)

0.478

  No

143 (26.7)

11 (15.5)

132 (28.5)

90 (27.7)

17 (27.9)

73 (27.7)

  Sometimes

30 (5.6)

0 (0)

30 (6.5)

22 (6.8)

2 (3.3)

20 (7.6)

 Where does child play when mother is doing laundry?

  Playing in shallow water

226 (42.2)

41 (57.8)

185 (39.9)

0.016*

150 (46.2)

32 (52.5)

118 (44.8)

0.198

  Playing in a water filled dish outside the river

81 (15.1)

11 (15.5)

70 (15.1)

44 (13.5)

8 (13.1)

36 (13.6)

  Outside the water

168 (31.4)

16 (22.5)

152 (32.8)

92 (28.3)

11 (18.0)

81 (30.7)

  I don’t go with my child to the river or dam

60 (11.2)

3 (4.2)

57 (12.3)

39 (12.0)

10 (16.4)

29 (11.0)

 Child goes with the mother to the river for bathing

  Yes

272 (50.8)

52 (73.2)

220 (47.4)

< 0.001*

163 (50.2)

33 (54.1)

130 (49.24)

0.687

  No

211 (39.4)

14 (19.7)

197 (42.5)

133 (40.9)

24 (39.3)

109 (41.3)

  Sometimes

52 (9.7)

5 (7.0)

47 (10.1)

29 (8.9)

4 (6.7)

25 (9.5)

 Where does child play when mother is bathing?

  Playing in water/bathing also

190 (35.5)

34 (47.9)

156 (33.6)

0.018*

120 (36.9)

29 (47.5)

91 (34.5)

0.100

  Outside the water

123 (23.0)

18 (25.4)

105 (22.6)

79 (24.3)

15 (24.6)

64 (24.2)

  Playing in a water filled dish outside the river

222 (41.5)

19 (26.8)

203 (43.8)

126 (38.8)

17 (27.9)

109 (41.3)

 The usual source of water for bathing the child

  River

175 (32.7)

41 (57.8)

134 (28.9)

< 0.001*

110 (33.9)

21 (34.4)

89 (33.7)

0.698

  Dam

6 (1.1)

0 (0)

6 (1.3)

6 (1.9)

0 (0)

6 (2.3)

  Well

56 (10.5)

10 (14.1)

46 (9.9)

35 (10.8)

7 (11.5)

28 (10.6)

  Protected well/borehole/tap

298 (55.7)

20 (28.2)

278 (59.9)

174 (53.5)

33 (54.1)

141 (53.4)

 Do you boil water for bathing the child?

  Yes

373 (69.7)

45 (63.4)

328 (70.7)

< 0.001*

216 (66.5)

40 (65.6)

176 (66.7)

0.176

  No

34 (6.4)

12 (16.9)

22 (4.7)

25 (7.7)

8 (13.1)

17 (6.4)

  Sometimes

128 (23.9)

14 (19.7)

114 (24.6)

84 (25.9)

13 (21.3)

71 (26.9)

 Whether child aged ≤ 5 years assist in watering the garden

  Yes

136 (25.4)

31 (43.7)

105 (22.6)

< 0.001*

84 (25.9)

19 (31.2)

65 (24.6)

0.566

  No

377 (70.5)

33 (46.5)

344 (744)

228 (70.2)

40 (65.6)

188 (71.2)

  Sometimes

22 (4.1)

7 (9.9)

15 (3.2)

13 (4.0)

2 (3.3)

11 (4.2)

 Presence of a toilet at home

426 (79.6)

59 (83.1)

367 (79.1)

0.435

260 (80.0)

49 (80.3)

211 (79.9)

0.943

 Those using the toilet

454 (84.9)

66 (93.0)

388 (83.6)

0.041*

278 (85.5)

55 (90.2)

223 (84.5)

0.254

 Source of drinking water

  River

40 (7.5)

11 (15.5)

29 (6.3)

< 0.001*

19 (5.9)

4 (6.6)

15 (5.7)

0.228

  Protected well at home

127 (23.7)

14 (19.7)

113 (24.4)

86 (26.5)

19 (31.2)

67 (25.4)

  Borehole

337 (63.0)

36 (50.7)

301 (64.9)

202 (62.2)

32 (52.5)

170 (64.4)

  Garden well

31 (5.8)

10 (14.1)

21 (4.5)

18 (5.5)

6(9.8)

12 (4.6)