MOTHERS PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS REGARDING DEWORMING OF PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN IN SOUTH-INDIA

Routine deworming of all preschool children (n = 453) was carried out as part of an ongoing Growth Monitoring Research Project in 12 village s in South India. Albendazole, an effective broad spectrum anthelminth ic drug was administered at homes by female field workers. Mothers' pe rceptions, beliefs and recall of worm burdens were determined during e ach round of deworming in Oct 1989, March 1990 and August 1990. Deworm ing was extremely popular. Nearly all mothers (99%) perceived it as be neficial for their child's health and also reported improvements in ap petite following deworming. However, their beliefs reflected the need for greater emphasis on hygiene and sanitation education in primary he alth programs. Common beliefs regarding the causes of worm infestation were eating mud, raw rice, sweets and the accumulation of dirt in the stomach. Only 10% of the mothers reported lack of hygiene as a cause in round 1, but this increased significantly to 30 and 41% in rounds 2 and 3 respectively. The proportion of mothers who reported ''Don't kn ow'' declined from 45% to 23% and 20% in rounds 1, 2 and 3 respectivel y. Similarly, only 4.9% of mothers reported that they adopted hygienic practices to prevent worm infestation at round 1, but this rose signi ficantly to 14% and 50% in rounds 2 and 3 respectively. Other common p ractices were the use of native or modern medicine. These beliefs were positively associated with maternal education and socioeconomic statu s.