Table 6 Attitude and perceived practices towards intestinal helminths among Orang Asli and Malay participants in Terengganu, Malaysia

 Effects of intestinal parasitic infections

14.992

0.001^*

 Harmful to peoples’ health

48

61.5

72

87.8

 Not harmful to peoples’ health

9

11.5

2

2.4

 Do not know

21

26.9

8

9.8

Faeces as source of infections

12.439

0.002^*

 Yes

16

20.5

38

46.3

 No

18

23.1

10

12.2

 Do not know

44

56.4

34

41.5

 Washing hands before eating

67

64.4

72

86.7

12.057

0.001^*

 Washing hands after defecation

66

63.5

77

92.8

22.039

< 0.001^*

 Washing hands after playing with soil

61

58.7

64

77.1

7.093

0.008^*

 Washing vegetables before consumption

55

52.9

73

88.0

26.284

< 0.001^*

 Washing fruits before consumption

44

42.3

72

86.7

38.705

< 0.001^*

 Using safe sources for drinking water

52

50.0

83

100

57.485

< 0.001^*

 Wearing shoes when outside the house

41

39.4

82

98.8

72.282

< 0.001^*

 Boiling/filtering drinking water

24

23.1

59

71.1

43.098

< 0.001^*

 Using toilets for defecation

17

16.3

83

100

129.839

< 0.001^*

 Cutting fingernails regularly

70

67.3

72

86.7

9.546

0.002^*

 Eating soil (geophagy)

17

16.3

5

6.0

4.783

0.030^*

 Go to clinic as a first line activity

58

55.8

68

81.9

14.371

<0.001^*

 Go to traditional healer as a first line activity

10

9.6

4

4.8

1.533

0.216

 Use herbal remedies as a first line activity

19

18.3

11

13.3

0.862

0.353

 Do nothing

18

17.3

1

1.2

15.895

<0.001^*