Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Leptospirosis is the most common reoccurring zoonosis worldwide. Climatic conditions in tropical and subtropical regions are optimal for Leptospira survival. The pathogen thrives in flood-prone slum settlements of underprivileged areas where waste, open sewers, and standing water are...

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Main Authors: Ambreen Fatema, Manjunatha Ramu, Kannan Thiruvengadam, Ittoop Pulikkottil Sunish, Paluru Vijayachari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Sarajevo 2023-09-01
Series:Journal of Health Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jhsci.ba/ojs/index.php/jhsci/article/view/2145
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author Ambreen Fatema
Manjunatha Ramu
Kannan Thiruvengadam
Ittoop Pulikkottil Sunish
Paluru Vijayachari
author_facet Ambreen Fatema
Manjunatha Ramu
Kannan Thiruvengadam
Ittoop Pulikkottil Sunish
Paluru Vijayachari
author_sort Ambreen Fatema
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Leptospirosis is the most common reoccurring zoonosis worldwide. Climatic conditions in tropical and subtropical regions are optimal for Leptospira survival. The pathogen thrives in flood-prone slum settlements of underprivileged areas where waste, open sewers, and standing water are present. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study using universal sampling methodology was conducted to determine associations between sociodemographic variables and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of leptospirosis-infected individuals compared with a control group from the South Andaman population. Results: Eight hundred and one (388 cases and 413 controls) subjects were included in the study. Overall, 61.5% of the participants were male, while the main occupation of 43.94% of the subjects was farming or agricultural work. Multilogistic regression assessing the likelihood of good knowledge about leptospirosis showed that leptospirosis-positive subjects were more likely to have good knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.5 [95% CI: 2.59–4.97], p < 0.001), better attitude (AOR: 97.30 [95% CI: 41.72–226.9], p < 0.001] than leptospirosis-negative subjects, male population groups were also more likely to have a good attitude (AOR: 3.03 [95% CI: 1.94–4.73], p < 0.001), and those whose main occupation is farming were more likely to have a good attitude (AOR: 3.59 [95% CI: 2.31–5.56], p < 0.001). The leptospirosis seropositive group was more likely to have good practices (AOR: 5.80 [95% CI: 3.58–8.73], p < 0.001), rural residents were 88% less likely to have good practice levels than urban residents (AR: 0.12 [95% CI: 0.07–0.20], p < 0.01). Conclusion: The infected group had better knowledge than the control group. The integration of knowledge and attitudes to maintain good practices, along with the provision of an adequate sanitation system, waste disposal system, and availability of essential personal protective equipment is necessary for disease control in these islands.
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spelling doaj.art-40cc5aced266406987a1eb0686a998aa2023-09-23T16:23:12ZengUniversity of SarajevoJournal of Health Sciences2232-75761986-80492023-09-0110.17532/jhsci.2023.2145Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional studyAmbreen Fatema0Manjunatha Ramu1Kannan Thiruvengadam2Ittoop Pulikkottil Sunish3Paluru Vijayachari4ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, IndiaICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, IndiaICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, IndiaICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, IndiaICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India Introduction: Leptospirosis is the most common reoccurring zoonosis worldwide. Climatic conditions in tropical and subtropical regions are optimal for Leptospira survival. The pathogen thrives in flood-prone slum settlements of underprivileged areas where waste, open sewers, and standing water are present. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study using universal sampling methodology was conducted to determine associations between sociodemographic variables and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of leptospirosis-infected individuals compared with a control group from the South Andaman population. Results: Eight hundred and one (388 cases and 413 controls) subjects were included in the study. Overall, 61.5% of the participants were male, while the main occupation of 43.94% of the subjects was farming or agricultural work. Multilogistic regression assessing the likelihood of good knowledge about leptospirosis showed that leptospirosis-positive subjects were more likely to have good knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.5 [95% CI: 2.59–4.97], p < 0.001), better attitude (AOR: 97.30 [95% CI: 41.72–226.9], p < 0.001] than leptospirosis-negative subjects, male population groups were also more likely to have a good attitude (AOR: 3.03 [95% CI: 1.94–4.73], p < 0.001), and those whose main occupation is farming were more likely to have a good attitude (AOR: 3.59 [95% CI: 2.31–5.56], p < 0.001). The leptospirosis seropositive group was more likely to have good practices (AOR: 5.80 [95% CI: 3.58–8.73], p < 0.001), rural residents were 88% less likely to have good practice levels than urban residents (AR: 0.12 [95% CI: 0.07–0.20], p < 0.01). Conclusion: The infected group had better knowledge than the control group. The integration of knowledge and attitudes to maintain good practices, along with the provision of an adequate sanitation system, waste disposal system, and availability of essential personal protective equipment is necessary for disease control in these islands. https://www.jhsci.ba/ojs/index.php/jhsci/article/view/2145LeptospirosisKnowledgeAttitudePracticeRural population
spellingShingle Ambreen Fatema
Manjunatha Ramu
Kannan Thiruvengadam
Ittoop Pulikkottil Sunish
Paluru Vijayachari
Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study
Journal of Health Sciences
Leptospirosis
Knowledge
Attitude
Practice
Rural population
title Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study
title_full Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study
title_short Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in South Andaman, India: A cross-sectional study
title_sort knowledge attitude and preventive practices of leptospirosis affected populations in south andaman india a cross sectional study
topic Leptospirosis
Knowledge
Attitude
Practice
Rural population
url https://www.jhsci.ba/ojs/index.php/jhsci/article/view/2145
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