Research on health education and health promotion during the process of schistosomiasis elimination II Awareness among university students in endemic regions.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101291488 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1935-2735 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19352727 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science

Students*/psychology ; Students*/statistics & numerical data ; Health Education* ; Schistosomiasis*/prevention & control ; Schistosomiasis*/epidemiology ; Schistosomiasis*/transmission ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* ; Health Promotion*; Humans ; Male ; Female ; China/epidemiology ; Universities ; Young Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Animals ; Snails/parasitology ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Endemic Diseases/prevention & control

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
In China, health education served as the primary method for controlling schistosomiasis and had significantly contributed to the management of schistosomiasis epidemics. In contrast, university students who lived/studied in schistosomiasis-endemic areas were often in the risk zone for schistosomiasis infection as part of their social practice and leisure activities. Thus, the risk of schistosomiasis transmission remained widespread and chronic. This study will conduct a survey and analyzed schistosomiasis awareness among university students in colleges and universities in endemic areas. The aim was to optimize intervention strategies once transmission had been interrupted. Students from two colleges and universities in the city of Gongqingcheng on Lake Poyang were selected and asked to complete a questionnaire via the online platform Questionnaire Star- The survey assessed exposure to snail-infested water, knowledge about schistosomiasis, and preferences for health education methods among students who had traveled to snail breeding areas. The survey took place from April 2 to April 4, 2024. The survey results showed that of the 4,847 respondents (49% male, 51% female), 53.8% reported exposure to snail-infested environments near their schools, and 38.4% had direct contact with snail-infested water. Of these, with those who dug for wild vegetables exposed significantly more nonendemic than endemic students to snail water (13.93% vs. 8.42%, χ2 = 16.681, P = 0.000). Awareness of schistosomiasis was low (31.08%), with limited knowledge about transmission (30.58%) and symptoms (42.91%). Of these, students from endemic areas were significantly more aware of transmission and symptoms than those from nonendemic areas (36.52% vs. 27.22%, χ2 = 7.623, P = 0.006 & 50.17% vs. 38.80%, χ2 = 9.872, P = 0.002). Preferred education methods included mobile multimedia (72.75%), brochures (68.68%), and physical promotional items (66.58%). In general, the overall awareness of schistosomiasis among university students remained low. There was a need to enhance health education in schools to improve disease prevention awareness within this population.
(Copyright: © 2025 Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

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Date Created: 20250218 Date Completed: 20250508 Latest Revision: 20250508

20250509

PMC11835237

10.1371/journal.pntd.0012865

39964960