Leptospirosis and its prevention: knowledge, attitude and practice of urban community in Selangor, Malaysia

BMC Public Health

Suhainizam Muhammad Saliluddin¹  Nurul Munirah Abdullah²  Rosni Ibrahim²  Noramira Nozmi²  Rukman Awang Hamat²  Suhailah Samsudin²  Malina Osman²  Tengku Zetty Maztura Tengku Jamaluddin²  Siti Norbaya Masri²  Siti Nor Sakinah Saudi²  Aziah Daud³  Surianti Sukeri³  Wan Mohd Zahiruddin Wan Mohammad³  Mohd Nazri Shafei³  Wan Nor Arifin⁴  Abdul-Wahab Zainudin⁵  Zawaha Idris⁶ 

[1] 0000 0001 2231 800X, grid.11142.37, Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia;0000 0001 2231 800X, grid.11142.37, Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia;0000 0001 2294 3534, grid.11875.3a, Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia;0000 0001 2294 3534, grid.11875.3a, Unit of Biostatistics and Research Methodology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia;Health Department of Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya, Jalan Cenderasari, 50590, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Health Promotion Unit, Penang State Health Department, Floor 7, Bangunan Persekutuan, Jalan Anson, 10400, Penang, Malaysia;

关键词: Leptospirosis;    Knowledge;    Attitude;    Practice;    Urban community;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-019-6981-0

来源: publisher

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLeptospirosis is still endemic in Malaysia and has been prevalent in Selangor where cases have been underreported. Primarily, this was due to lack of awareness in the urban community in this region. This study determined the knowledge, attitude and preventive practice (KAP) of leptospirosis, and identified the significant predictors influencing KAP among urban community in Hulu Langat, Selangor.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from 2015 to 2017 using validated questionnaire. Sampling methods included multistage cluster sampling, followed by simple random sampling to obtain 315 respondents. Descriptive analysis was performed to determine the KAP while χ2 and the subsequent logistic regression analysis were carried out to identify associations and predictors between variables.ResultsRespondents were mainly Malaysian Bumiputra with a mean (Standard Deviation (SD)) age of 32.5 (13.0) years. Of 315 respondents, 80.3% (n = 253) had poor knowledge, 87.0% (n = 274) had good attitude, and 81.3% (n = 256) showed unacceptable practice towards leptospirosis and its prevention. Regression analysis identified age as the sole predictor influencing good knowledge (AOR 2.388; 95% CI = 1.298, 4.396; p = 0.005). Education level (AOR 2.197; 95% CI = 1.109, 4.352; p = 0.024) was also noted as the significant predictor influencing the overall practice.ConclusionsThe urban community in Selangor showed a positive attitude in waste management despite having little knowledge regarding the disease itself. The study also discovered inadequacy in preventive practice, hence marking the importance of the proper integration of knowledge and attitude into forming an acceptable practice to reduce transmission of Leptospira among urban population in Malaysia.

【 授权许可】

CC BY