Knowledge and beliefs about onchocerciasis among rural inhabitants in an endemic area of Ethiopia

Karunamoorthi, Kaliyaperumal; Kassa, Eyerusalem; Endale, Aschalew

doi:10.1016/j.inhe.2009.11.002

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Generally, health education about the endemicity of the disease leads to awareness and provides the necessary information for change in beliefs, attitudes and behaviour (Karunamoorthi, Kassa, & Endale, 2010;Okwa, Olusola, & Adelani, 2009). Consistent with our findings, other studies have shown that people with little or no formal education tend to believe in a wide range of misconceptions about the causes and method of transmission of onchocerciasis (Yirga et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Untangling Complexity: Assessing the Joint Effects of Population Composition and Context on Perceived Exposure to Onchocerciasis in Coastal Tanzania

Armah¹,

Boamah²

2020

Preprint

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Onchocerciasis volvulus is the second highest infectious cause of blindness in the world, and is estimated to affect 37 million people, of whom 99% reside in sub-Saharan Africa. As a public health problem the disease is most closely associated with Africa, where it constitutes a serious obstacle to socio-economic development. Using the human ecology triad, this paper evaluates the dynamic interplay of population, habitat and behavioural factors in predicting perceived exposure to onchocerciasis among coastal inhabitants in Tanzania. Generalized linear models with log-log link function were fitted to cross-sectional survey data on 1253 individuals in three contiguous coastal regions. A significant proportion of respondents (28%) perceived that they were exposed to onchocerciasis. Residents in urban locations irrespective of wealth status were less likely to report living in onchocerciasis endemic environment compared with their rural counterparts. This is understandable given that urban areas of Tanga and Dar es Salaam are definitely non-endemic and perceived risk of onchocerciasis is related to the fact of living in an endemic area with active onchocercasis transmission. Individuals who had attained secondary (OR=0.51, p<0.01) or tertiary education (OR=0.37, p<0.001), and reported easy access to health facility (OR=0.53, p<0.001) were all less likely to report perceived exposure to onchocerciasis. This is not surprising because higher level of education and easy access to health facilities are characteristics of urban compared with rural areas. Policy implications suggest the need for the Tanzanian national neglected tropical disease control programme (TZNTDCP) to intensify health and educational campaigns at the community level and address susceptibility of vulnerable populations to the disease especially, for rural dwellers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Untangling Complexity: Assessing the Joint Effects of Population Composition and Context on Perceived Exposure to Onchocerciasis in Coastal Tanzania

Armah¹,

Boamah²

2020

Preprint

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“…More than half of our study participants had the misconception that hygiene is a preventive measure. Only 5.6% of the participants reported avoiding contact with stream water as a preventive measure, which contrasts a study done in Giesha Kebele river basin, Oromia region, Ethiopia (46.2%) [ 24 ]. The probable reason could be differences in access to health information, study period, and programme implementation.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 68%

Community’s knowledge, perceptions and preventive practices on Onchocerciasis in Jimma zone, Ethiopia, formative mixed study

Abdissa,

Kebede,

Sudhakar

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Background In Ethiopia, Onchocerciasis is a prevalent neglected tropical disease, currently targeted for elimination with mass drug administration and community behavioral changes towards sustained control and eventual elimination. This study aimed to elucidate the awareness, perceptions and practices of endemic communities in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia. Methods and materials Community-based cross-sectional study triangulated with qualitative method was conducted from October-November, 2021. A multistage sampling was employed and data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of comprehensive knowledge and preventive practice. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated at 95% confidence interval (CI) and considered significant with a p-value of <0.05. Kruskal-Whallis and Mann-whitney tests were used to compare median risk perception score by socio-demographic factors. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews and transcribed verbatim. Then the data were coded, categorized, and themes were developed. Result The overall prevalence of adequate comprehensive knowledge was 48.8% (95% CI: 44.9, 52.3), high risk perception was 18.7% (95%CI15.9, 21.4) and preventive practice was 46.9%(95%CI:(43.3,50.4). High risk perception[AOR = 1.95 95%CI: (1.32, 2.89] was statistically significant with comprehensive knowledge, likewise knowledge of mode of transmission [AOR = 2.64 95% CI: (1.44, 4.85)], knowledge of consequences [AOR = 2.12 95%CI: (1.21, 3.72)] and knowledge of preventive measures [AOR = 15.65,95%CI:(10.1, 24.2)] were statistically significant with preventive practice. The median risk perception was varied significantly between the groups by educational status, study district and age category. Qualitative evidence showed that there were great community knowledge gap about the disease. Conclusion Community knowledge, perceptions, and practices are unacceptably low. Risk perception was significantly associated with comprehensive knowledge, likewise knowledge of mode of transmission, consequences and preventive measures were significantly associated with preventive practice. This implies knowledge is a key component of effective prevention strategies as it is a necessary condition for the behavior change.

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“…According to a previous report from Ethiopia, onchocerciasis causes poor school performance and a high dropout rate among afflicted children, as well as severe social stigmatization, particularly among women [9]. e disease's incidence is linked to activities that expose people to vectors, such as farming, washing clothes near a river, and swimming [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Community towards an Onchocerciasis Elimination Program from South West Ethiopia

Worku

Mola

Alemu

et al. 2022

Journal of Tropical Medicine

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Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease that is prevalent throughout Africa, including developing countries such as Ethiopia. It affects around 37 million people, the majority of whom are from Africa. As a result, the study was designed to look into the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice about the onchocerciasis elimination campaign. Four communities from Gesha town, Southwest Ethiopia, were chosen. The population was selected using a basic random selection procedure, and 312 people were identified for the study based on the eligibility requirements, with 302 (96.79%) of them responding correctly. The data were analyzed using the descriptive method with the SPSS program version 20. It was discovered that the majority of communities (89.4%) are aware of onchocerciasis. They also have a good awareness of the severity, preventability, therapy, and mode of transmission, yet they have certain misunderstandings. The communities attitude towards community directed therapy (CDT) using Ivermectin is positive (68.5%). According to 56% of the community, offering incentives for community drug distributors (CDD) has the potential to make the elimination campaign more successful. Different measures, such as avoiding any activities near the river, are important in the process of eradicating this disease at the community level. As a result, the respondent demonstrates that covering the lower body part lessens the black fly’s vulnerability because they may attack below the knee. In general, community awareness and attitude are required to eradicate this disease from the district. In addition, increased stakeholder participation and offering motivating rewards for CDT are required to make the elimination program a success.

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Knowledge and beliefs about onchocerciasis among rural inhabitants in an endemic area of Ethiopia

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Untangling Complexity: Assessing the Joint Effects of Population Composition and Context on Perceived Exposure to Onchocerciasis in Coastal Tanzania

Untangling Complexity: Assessing the Joint Effects of Population Composition and Context on Perceived Exposure to Onchocerciasis in Coastal Tanzania

Community’s knowledge, perceptions and preventive practices on Onchocerciasis in Jimma zone, Ethiopia, formative mixed study

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Community towards an Onchocerciasis Elimination Program from South West Ethiopia

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