Knowledge, attitude, belief, and practice in relation to leptospirosis prevention among urban residents in selected townships in Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia
Leptospirosis endemicity has been affecting people’s health and their livelihoods. In Malaysia, it is still considered to be underreported and cases are prevalent in Selangor. Since leptospirosis is a great depiction of the complexity surrounding the disease transmission between humans, animals a...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/84214/1/FPSK%20%28m%29%202019%2043%20UPM%20ir.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/84214/ |
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| Institution: | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | Leptospirosis endemicity has been affecting people’s health and their
livelihoods. In Malaysia, it is still considered to be underreported and cases are
prevalent in Selangor. Since leptospirosis is a great depiction of the complexity
surrounding the disease transmission between humans, animals and the
ecosystem, an effective prevention would require awareness of the public
regarding the disease. Surveys would be used to evaluate behaviours,
awareness and mindset in general prior to initiating any intervention measure.
This study determined the knowledge, attitude, belief, and preventive practice
(KABP) among urban residents in Hulu Langat, where leptospirosis was most
prevalent. Then, association between KABP with respondents’ sociodemographics and risk factors was also determined. This cross-sectional study
involved 315 healthy adolescents from urban residential areas in Hulu Langat
drawn using multi stage cluster sampling method. A validated questionnaire
consisted of leptospirosis-related questions was administered to respondents
to explore the insights of urban residents regarding leptospirosis prevention.
The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)
version 22.0. Descriptive analysis was presented as frequencies (%) and χ2
test was used to analyse the association between KABP and both sociodemographics and risk factors. Then, significant predictors influencing KABP
were identified. Majority of respondents were Bumiputra with a mean age of
32.5 (SD 13.0) years. Of 315, only 19.7% of respondents had good knowledge,
while 87.0% showed good attitude and 91.1% showed good practice in
avoiding to eat or drink while handling waste. However, 56.2% of them had
poor belief. The regression analysis then identified age (p = 0.005; 95% CI =
1.298, 4.396) as the significant predictor influencing overall knowledge of
respondents. Respondents’ monthly income (p = 0.012; 95% CI = 0.322, 0.868)
and their awareness of open waste dumping sites (p = 0.013, 95% CI = 1.138, 2.918) also influenced their overall belief. Meanwhile, respondents’ education
level (p = 0.024; 95% CI = 1.109, 4.352) was the significant predictor
influencing overall practice. The current findings identified weakness in
respondents’ knowledge and belief despite exhibiting good attitude and
preventive practice. This indicates the importance of integration of knowledge,
attitude and belief into forming an acceptable practice to reduce transmission of
leptospirosis among urban population in Selangor. |
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