Leptospirosis Health Intervention Module Effect on Knowledge, Attitude, Belief, and Practice among Wet Market Workers in Northeastern Malaysia: An Intervention Study

Abstract

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease which can be prevented by increasing awareness and promoting preventive health behaviours among high risk groups including wet market workers. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Leptospirosis Health Intervention Program (LHIP) in improving knowledge, attitude, belief and practice towards leptospirosis among wet market workers in Kelantan. This intervention study was conducted in two main wet markets in Kelantan involving 116 participants in each control and intervention groups. The health education intervention was based on Leptospirosis Health Intervention Module. The knowledge, attitude, belief and practice scores were measured before and six weeks after the intervention to examine the effect of the program. The results showed that knowledge (p < 0.001), attitude (p = 0.001), belief (p < 0.001) and practice (p < 0.001) scores changes were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. The adjusted mean differences were 12.93 (95% CI: 8.47, 17.39) for knowledge, 5.55 (95% CI: 2.28, 8.81) for attitude, 7.21 (95% CI: 3.43, 10.99) for belief and 7.35 (95% CI: 3.64, 11.05) for practice scores. Leptospirosis Health Intervention Program was an effective health educational tools to improve awareness and preventive behaviours among risk groups such as wet market workers.

Gamification, a Successful Method to Foster Leptospirosis Knowledge among University Students: A Pilot Study

“…This enabled everyone to participate and give their opinions on the subject matter and also better understand the practical preventive measures compared with listening to lectures or video presentations. Our study is also consistent with earlier intervention studies on leptospirosis, which concluded that educational intervention programmes have the strongest effect on improving leptospirosis knowledge, particularly in high-risk populations [36,46]. The usefulness of digital games in the study could also be compared with other studies that highlighted opportunities for disease prevention, health promotion, and increased learning [33,34].…”

“…Leptospirosis has re-emerged as a tropical disease with global burden, and its transmission is associated with a variety of ecological factors ranging from unsanitary environment and improper waste management to natural disasters (flooding), leading to substantial outbreaks [25,43,44]. Thus, deliberate attempts to improve community awareness and understand the risk factors and prevention measures, particularly in endemic areas, is essential for public health education regarding leptospirosis [36,45,46].…”

“…Previous studies demonstrated the usefulness of disease prevention, health promotion, and increased learning through gamification [33,34]. A few intervention studies were conducted in Malaysia, specifically targeting populations at high risk of contracting leptospirosis such as town service and wet-market workers and also rural communities [35,36,37]. However, to the best of our knowledge, no intervention programmes have been conducted for students or younger populations.…”

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

“…Then, following the findings of the current study and another KAP study in rural Selangor [33], leptospirosis intervention program was finally conducted and its effectiveness in improving KAP among wet market workers in Kelantan was proven. KAP scores became significantly higher in the intervention group than those of control group [27].…”

“…The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Leptospirosis Health Intervention Program (LHIP) in improving knowledge, attitude, belief and practice towards leptospirosis among wet market workers in Kelantan [27]. It was conducted in two main wet markets in Kelantan involving 116 participants in each control and intervention groups.…”