Level of knowledge, attitude and preventive practices against intestinal parasite infection among attendants of the family medicine center in first settlement, New Cairo, Egypt

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) present a critical global public health concern, particularly in developing countries. The World Health Organization reports that helminth and protozoal affect over 24% of the global population. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning parasitic infections within the Egyptian population using a validated, pre-tested questionnaire to identify awareness gaps and behavioral barriers that could sustain infection rates and cause the reinfection problem. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 attendants of the Primary Health Care Unit in New Cairo, Egypt using a validated questionnaire. A Convenience sampling method was used to select attendants based on the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data was analyzed by R (version 4.2.2). Results: Findings indicate that 66.3% (232 out of 350) of Participants demonstrated poor Knowledge, while 95.4% (334 out of 350) presented a good Attitude behavior and 51.4% (180 out of 350) had good Practice against parasitic infections. Nearly half of Participants, 40.3% (141 out of 350) reported a personal or family history of intestinal parasitic infection. Among those, 14.9% (52 out of 350) did not take the prescribed medication course correctly, and 76.4% (267 out of 350) did not follow the recommended protocol. Conclusion: The study revealed that most of the participants exhibited poor Knowledge regarding parasitic infections, despite the good Attitude and Practices showed. Poor knowledge was particularly observed among younger adults and those with lower educational levels, highlighting the need of targeted educational programs for these groups. Furthermore, with nearly half of the participants’ household reporting a previously parasitic infection, addressing the importance of whole-family treatment and education on adherence to treatment protocols can help reduce the overall prevalence of IPI in the community.