BACKGROUND

The deworming program, also known as preventive chemotherapy, is one of the most important strategies in combatting Soil-transmitted Helminthiasis. With more than two decades of implementation, only a few countries have reached the target deworming coverage of 75% by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the Philippines, the national deworming coverage from 2018 to 2022 is still below both the WHO and the Department of Health's target deworming coverage. As a result, there is an increasing prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis among populations in endemic areas in the country including South Cotabato.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of health workers in the implementation of the STH deworming program in South Cotabato, specifically their lived experiences in implementing the deworming program, the challenges and issues they encountered during the implementation, coping strategies, and their insights about the status of the deworming program in the province and how to improve it.

METHODS

Seventeen health workers implementing the deworming program in the province of South Cotabato were interviewed through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Interviews were conducted online due to mobility restrictions during the pandemic. The transcripts were analyzed using Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method and essential themes were formulated.

RESULTS

Our analysis revealed that health workers’ lived experiences revolve around ensuring the quality implementation of the program such as combatting misconceptions about deworming through house-tohouse visitation and education campaigns, reaching far-flung areas, and ensuring children are in good health condition before taking a deworming medicine. Common challenges experienced by the participants were the misconceptions and disinformation regarding deworming, the limited and difficult access to some areas, problems in logistics, and the limited support of some stakeholders. Moreover, participants cited the importance of good community engagement, active involvement and commitment of stakeholders, providing support to health workers, and robust monitoring and evaluation of the program in improving the implementation of deworming.

CONCLUSION

In the context of this study, there is still a need to intensify the training for implementers to cater more effectively to the concerns of the people and debunk misconceptions about the program. Utilization of various media for information dissemination, enhancing access to hard-to-reach areas, and strengthening community engagements, particularly with barangay and local government officials are essential to address the gaps in the implementation. There must also be improvements in monitoring and evaluation of the program, and additional support and incentives to healthcare workers to sustain implementations.

Human ; Helminthiasis

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide and second in the Philippines. However, Pap smear test, a common screening test procedure for the detection of cervical cancer, remains underutilized, contributing to the increasing incidence of cervical cancer. Women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) must be measured to ensure good, targeted interventions; and increase screening and detection of cervical cancer cases. Objectives: The study aims to determine the KAPof women in Surallah, South Cotabato, towards Pap smear. It also aims to help the local government, college administrators, and rural health unit create programs to enhance women's KAPin the municipality. Methodology: The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design, employing questionnaires manually distributed to determine the KAPof women in Surallah, South Cotabato. Results: The study included 375 respondents. Most know the purpose and importance of a Pap smear but are in need of better understanding of the procedure and the timing of the test. Most of the respondents also had varied reactions toward the test toward the test; some had positive attitudes, and others had negative attitudes. The respondents didn't undergo the procedure despite having a good knowledge of it. Conclusion Most respondents correctly understood the importance of the procedure but needed to learn how it was done. They also have a fair to commendable attitude towards the test. However, despite these, the respondents still practice poorly due to misconceptions and misinformation
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Papanicolaou Test ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Surveys and Questionnaires