Impact of an intervention programme on knowledge, attitudes and practices of population regarding severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in endemic areas of Lu'an, China

Abstract

Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the population regarding severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in endemic areas of Lu'an in China were assessed before and after an intervention programme. The pre-intervention phase was conducted using a sample of 425 participants from the 12 selected villages with the highest rates of endemic SFTS infection. A predesigned interview questionnaire was used to assess KAP. Subsequently, an intervention programme was designed and applied in the selected villages. KAP was re-assessed for each population in the selected villages using the same interview questionnaire. Following 2 months of the programme, 339 participants had completed the re-assessed survey. The impact of the intervention programme was evaluated using suitable statistical methods. A significant increase in the KAP and total KAP scores was noted following the intervention programme, whereas the proportion of correct knowledge, the positive attitudes and the effective practices toward SFTS of respondents increased significantly. The intervention programme was effective in improving KAP level of SFTS in populations that were resident in endemic areas.

Why is leptospirosis hard to avoid for the impoverished? Deconstructing leptospirosis transmission risk and the drivers of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a disadvantaged community in Salvador, Brazil

“…For all participants, scores for each dimension of KAP were analyzed as the number of points obtained as a proportion of the maximum possible score [12,26]. We combined KAP data with previously collected data on serostatus for leptospirosis, demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental/exposure factors [7,20].…”

“…For questions on attitudes and practices, we used a three-point Likert scale [25,26]. For each question on satisfactory attitudes, a "yes" answer was given a score of 2, "maybe" a score of 1, and "no" was given 0 score.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices regarding Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome in Endemic Areas of Anhui Province, Eastern China

“…The SFTS knowledge level reported in this study was 37.4%, which is lower than the 56.2% reported in another KAP study conducted in Lu'an city, another area of Anhui Province in which SFTS is prevalent. 21 This low SFTS knowledge level may be due to the lack of regular health education programs in our study settings and limited information sources regarding SFTS. In our study, we further demonstrated that even though participants had heard about SFTS, knowledge of the symptoms and signs was lacking.…”

“…Most respondents expressed the appropriate attitude of visiting a doctor immediately when bitten by a tick, a finding which is similar to that of a previous KAP study on zoonotic disease. 21 Participants with lower knowledge levels have been shown to be more likely to have a right attitude toward the disease. 23 In this study, more than 80.0% of participants desired consultation and nearly 70.0% were willing to attend the free detection.…”

Meteorological factors and tick density affect the dynamics of SFTS in jiangsu province, China

“…Although the case fatality rate has decreased, its epidemic area has continued to expand. 23 provinces in China reported SFTS cases, and the absolute number of infections increased from 2010 to 2016 [ 3 ]. Even in 2017, more than 90% of SFTS cases reported in China and the World Health Organization once listed SFTS as one of the nine major infectious diseases in the key list, which is one of the most serious public health problems in recent years [ 4 , 5 ].…”