Perceptions and risky behaviors associated with Leptospirosis in an endemic area in a village of Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand

Abstract

Background: Leptospirosis, a disease caused by Leptospira species, a spirochaete bacterium that can develop in an appropriate environment and/or grow in human and/or animal hosts, is a serious problem for the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Objective: To investigate people's perceptions and behavioral risks regarding leptospirosis infection. Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study collected data in May, 2013. Data on individuals' perceptions and risky behaviors concerning leptospirosis were collected from 104 completed questionnaires. Results: Regarding perceptions of leptospirosis, we found them to be at a high level (97.1%) and risky behaviors regarding leptospirosis were reported at a moderate level (74.0%). The study found no correlation between perceptions and risky behaviors regarding leptospirosis (r 0.186, p-value 0.059). Conclusion: This study suggest that people in these areas have good knowledge about leptospirosis. However, some people have risky behavior associated with leptospirosis. Thus, a behavioral change campaign should be promoted to encourage people awareness of the dangers of such behavior.

Low Levels of Knowledge, Attitudes and Preventive Practices on Leptospirosis among a Rural Community in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia

“…Surprisingly, only 17.8% of the participants had heard it from doctors in the present study. This is in contrast with a study in Thailand where 94.2% of rural farmers obtained the information from hospital staff [ 36 ]. This could be explained by the high endemicity of leptospirosis in the studied area, thus, massive health campaigns could have been initiated for the farmers.…”

“…In contrast, 90% of urban slum dwellers were aware of leptospirosis [ 35 ]. In addition, a higher percentage (87.3%) of rural workers who had heard of leptospirosis by broadcast media were observed in The Philippines [ 31 ], but lower (57.0%) among farmers in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand [ 36 ]. The perception of the disease as “rat-urine disease” has been accepted by our community for many decades as the term was portrayed by Malaysian headlines and broadcast media in several outbreaks or cases involving campers, rescuers and armies, which could be sensational news [ 37 , 38 ].…”

“…Additionally, 58.6% of our rural communities knew leptospirosis is caused by bacteria, and 66.6% of the participants were correctly identified leptospirosis as a zoonotic disease. Higher percentages of people’s understanding of the bacteria as the causative agents were reported in Thailand (77.9%) and The Philippines (91.0%) [ 36 , 44 ]. It seems that the level of knowledge varies according to the socio-demographic profile, geographical location and the type of methodology used.…”

“…In Brazil, however, only 31.1% of urban slum dwellers knew leptospirosis could be acquired this way [ 35 ]. In highly endemic areas in Thailand, contaminated water was regarded as the mode of acquisition by 97.1% of rural villagers [ 36 ]. Meanwhile, 57.9% and 25.4% of Sri Lankans who had been involved in leptospirosis outbreak could only recognize contaminated water and drinks, respectively as the modes of acquiring leptospirosis [ 47 ].…”

Human and environmental risk factors of leptospirosis in Gunungkidul, Indonesia: a case-control study

“…More than 80% of participants used personal protection during their job. 27 which implies that health promotion regarding personal protection is necessary to elevate the farmers' knowledge regarding prevention.…”