Are there knowledge and attitude deficits on leprosy? A study among medical interns and final year medical students in southeast Nigeria

Ekeke, Ngozi; Chukwu, Joseph N.; Nwafor, Charles C.; Meka, Anthony O.; Aguwa, Emmanuel N.; Uwakwe, Kenechi A.; Anyanwagu, Uche; Nduka, Ijeoma; Azuogu, Ben; Oshi, Daniel C.; Ossai, Edmund Ndudi

doi:10.47276/lr.91.1.108

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…When treatment is not received or poorly adhered to, the disease remains transmissible and lasting visible impairments can occur. [3][4][5] Visible impairments are associated with social exclusion, stigma and discrimination. 6 Stigma can be defined as "a social process, experienced or anticipated, characterized by exclusion, rejection, blame or devaluation that results from experience, perception or reasonable anticipation of an adverse social judgment about a person or group."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health workers’ perceptions of leprosy and factors influencing their perceptions in endemic countries: A systematic literature review

Haverkort

Noordende

2022

LEPROSY

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Objectives To review work done to date on the perceptions of health workers towards leprosy and persons affected by leprosy. We aimed to create an overview of the different perceptions, review the differences and commonalities, and examine the drivers of these perceptions. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Infolep.org. ResultsThe search identified 503 articles, 21 articles were included in the review. The findings show knowledge gaps among health workers, and varying levels of negative attitudes towards persons affected by leprosy, which are influenced by local beliefs and by emotions such as fear. For example, we found that not all health workers are willing to treat persons affected by leprosy, often out of fear of contamination. We found that perceptions differed between countries, regions, health facilities and between different types of health workers. Factors associated with 'positive' perceptions of leprosy include male gender, knowing someone affected by leprosy, having received in-service training on leprosy, having graduated over five years ago, having received formal education on leprosy, and having knowledge of leprosy. Conclusions Health care workers' perception of leprosy varied greatly between countries and by context. We found knowledge gaps and diverse local beliefs that may contribute to negative attitudes, which are also influenced by fear of leprosy. It is important to examine perceptions of leprosy and to contextualise interventions when designing interventions to change health workers' perceptions of leprosy. Future interventions may consider including elements found to be determinants of a 'positive' perception in this review (for example, in-service training).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health workers’ perceptions of leprosy and factors influencing their perceptions in endemic countries: A systematic literature review

Haverkort

Noordende

2022

LEPROSY

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“…En Afrique, les études qui évaluent les connaissances et attitudes des étudiants en rapport avec la lèpre sont quasiment inexistantes. Celles qui existent, éthiopiennes (14) et nigérianes(15,16), ne concernent pas l'Afrique francophone et centrale et se concentrent en majorité sur les prestataires des service de santé. Par ailleurs, aucune étude n'évalue les connaissances et attitudes des étudiants en sciences infirmières, en dehors de celle de 1992 au Nigeria qui avait conclu que le niveau de connaissances était faible parmi et que les infirmiers avaient la crainte des toucher les malades lépreux(16).D'où les intérêts théorique, méthodologique et empirique de cette étude.…”

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Connaissances Et Attitudes Des Etudiants en Sciences Medicales Sur La Lepre Dans La Ville De Kalemie, Republique Democratique Du Congo

Héman,

Sylvain,

Ernest

et al. 2023

Tanganyika J. Sc.

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Introduction : La lèpre est une maladie tropicale négligée causée par les Mycobacteri leprae et lepromatosis. Elle est endémique dans la province du Tanganyika où elle demeure encore un problème de santé publique. La stigmatisation et la discrimination envers les lépreux découlent du niveau de connaissance de la population sur la lèpre. Cette première étude en milieu académique congolais a été menée dans l’objectif d’évaluer les connaissances et l’attitude des étudiants en sciences médicales au regard de la lèpre. Méthodologie : Il s’agissait d’une étude analytique transversale réalisée au moyen de questionnaire fermé, parmi les étudiants de l’Institut Supérieur des Techniques médicales de Kalemie de Septembre à Décembre 2022. Les données collectées ont été analysées à l’aide du logiciel Epi-Info 7.2. Le seuil de significativité de test était fixé à p < 0,05. Résultats : Sur 299 étudiants interrogés, 98,6% avaient déjà entendu parler de la lèpre, dont 52,2% lors des séances des cours. L’âge moyen des enquêtés était de 24,7 ± 4,7 ans, avec une légère prédominance féminine (50,2%). La majorité des étudiants étaient en sciences infirmières (74,9%). Le niveau de connaissance était bon à 35,9% et l’attitude était positive chez 12,5% d’enquêtés. La bonne connaissance sur la lèpre était significativement associée au sexe féminin (OR = 1,8 [IC95% : 1,1-2,9] ; p=0,023), au statut matrimonial autre que célibataire ( OR=2,834 [IC95% : 1,581-5,079] ; p=0,006]), et à la principale source d’information constituée des enseignements des cours (OR=8,3 [IC95% : 4,6-14,8] ; p<0,0001). Les enseignements aux cours, la résidence en milieu urbain, la volonté de partager à manger avec le lépreux et autoriser son enfant à jouer avec le lépreux sont associés à l’attitude positive des étudiants envers les lépreux. Conclusion : En milieu de forte incidence de la lèpre, les résultats de cette étude témoignent de la nécessité de mis en place des stratégies de sensibilisation et d’éducation des étudiants sur la lèpre pour lutter contre l’ignorance et la stigmatisation. Mots-clés : Lèpre, Maladie de Hansen, Stigmatisation, Kalemie, RDC

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Investigation of community knowledge, attitudes and stigma towards leprosy in Nigeria: a mixed-methods study

Murphy-Okpala,

Dahiru,

Eze

et al. 2024

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Background Little is known about community knowledge and stigma towards leprosy in endemic settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate community knowledge, attitudes and stigma towards leprosy in Nigeria. Methods This was a mixed-methods study consisting of a quantitative cross-sectional survey of community members and qualitative focus group discussions with community members and people affected by leprosy as well as key informant interviews with healthcare workers and community leaders. Results Of the 811 survey participants, 401 (49.4%) had a poor knowledge of leprosy that was driven by cultural beliefs, fear of its contagiousness and poor knowledge of its means of transmission. The participants reported high stigma levels with a mean score of 18.96±7.73 on the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue Community Stigma Scale and 9.39±7.03 on the Social Distance Scale. Stigma levels were influenced by age, residence, education and knowledge of leprosy. Qualitative data suggested that community members were scared of leprosy infectiousness, and local illness concepts and misconceptions informed attitudes and behaviour towards leprosy in the community. Conclusion Community members have a poor knowledge of, and high stigma levels towards leprosy. Culture-specific health education and behavioural change interventions are needed to address the identified gaps.

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Are there knowledge and attitude deficits on leprosy? A study among medical interns and final year medical students in southeast Nigeria

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Health workers’ perceptions of leprosy and factors influencing their perceptions in endemic countries: A systematic literature review

Health workers’ perceptions of leprosy and factors influencing their perceptions in endemic countries: A systematic literature review

Connaissances Et Attitudes Des Etudiants en Sciences Medicales Sur La Lepre Dans La Ville De Kalemie, Republique Democratique Du Congo

Investigation of community knowledge, attitudes and stigma towards leprosy in Nigeria: a mixed-methods study

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