PreprintArticleVersion 1Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness of Leptospirosis among Households, Farmers, and Livestock Keepers in Unguja Island, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study
Version 1
: Received: 6 April 2023 / Approved: 10 April 2023 / Online: 10 April 2023 (05:26:23 CEST)
How to cite:
Mlowe, G.D.; Kavulikirwa, O.K.; Makundi, I.; Katakweba, A.A.S.; Machang'u, R.S. Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness of Leptospirosis among Households, Farmers, and Livestock Keepers in Unguja Island, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study. Preprints2023, 2023040152. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0152.v1
Mlowe, G.D.; Kavulikirwa, O.K.; Makundi, I.; Katakweba, A.A.S.; Machang'u, R.S. Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness of Leptospirosis among Households, Farmers, and Livestock Keepers in Unguja Island, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study. Preprints 2023, 2023040152. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0152.v1
Mlowe, G.D.; Kavulikirwa, O.K.; Makundi, I.; Katakweba, A.A.S.; Machang'u, R.S. Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness of Leptospirosis among Households, Farmers, and Livestock Keepers in Unguja Island, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study. Preprints2023, 2023040152. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0152.v1
APA Style
Mlowe, G.D., Kavulikirwa, O.K., Makundi, I., Katakweba, A.A.S., & Machang'u, R.S. (2023). Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness of Leptospirosis among Households, Farmers, and Livestock Keepers in Unguja Island, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0152.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Mlowe, G.D., Abdul A. S. Katakweba and Robert S. Machang'u. 2023 "Assessment of the Knowledge and Awareness of Leptospirosis among Households, Farmers, and Livestock Keepers in Unguja Island, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0152.v1
Abstract
Limited understanding exists concerning leptospirosis in Zanzibar. The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of knowledge and awareness of leptospirosis within the urban and peri-urban populations of Unguja. A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing semi-structured questionnaires from January to April 2022. Two hundred respondents were randomly selected (130 males and 70 females) aged between 18 and 89 years. Descriptive analysis was employed to assess the main trends in knowledge and awareness, and χ2 analysis was utilized to determine associations between demographic characteristics with respondents’ knowledge and awareness. The majority of respondents (64%) lacked awareness of leptospirosis' etiology, but a significant proportion of respondents had a favorable attitude (68.6%) towards leptospirosis compared to their average knowledge and awareness (35%) and practices (29.3%). Nonetheless, the livestock keeper, farmers, fishermen, and healthcare providers had low levels of knowledge and awareness. The findings also demonstrated that males had a strong association with occupational physical activities, while educational level was associated with preventive practices. Living in urban or peri-urban areas was significantly linked with the respondents' practices. The study's outcomes demonstrated low levels of community knowledge and awareness regarding leptospirosis' etiology, mode of transmission, and symptoms among livestock keepers, farmers, fishermen, and healthcare providers. Although most respondents had a favorable attitude, their low level of knowledge and poor practices indicate that supplementing a positive attitude with enhanced knowledge and awareness is necessary to promote individual engagement in preventive measures.
Keywords
Leptospirosis; Awareness; Knowledge; Zoonosis; Health Risk; Prevention
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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