Manamperi Mayumi, Kandegedara P, Zoysa G I C L De, Jayamanna J M A I K, Perera E G, Wijegunawardana N D Asha Dilrukshi
Ministry of Health, Nutrition, and Indigenous Sciences, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka.
Postgraduate Unit, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale 50300, Sri Lanka.
Trop Med Infect Dis. 2024 Feb 28;9(3):55. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed9030055.
Leishmaniasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases. Studies show that the poor knowledge about epidemiological aspects of leishmaniasis within communities causes the collapse of existing disease control programs. Therefore, the present study focuses on a detailed survey of the existing awareness among the threatened population in the Medawachchiya Public Health Inspector's (PHI) Area in the Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka, aiming to assist the health staff to organize community-based vector control programs effectively in the future. Assessment of the awareness of residents of two hundred and seventy households ( = 270) from 10 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GNDs) was carried out by using a structured questionnaire. Among 143 females and 134 males, only 75.1% had knowledge about the disease, 5.8% ( = 16) of the participants knew only about the vector, and 28.9% ( = 80) knew about control methods. The study showed a considerable lack of awareness about the disease among the studied population. The study found that age and education levels had significant impacts on knowledge, attitudes, and practices. However, factors like gender, marital status, occupation, income, and expenses did not show significant correlations. The present study suggests huge scope for greater achievements in community-related vector control methods by implementing a continuous educational program.
利什曼病是被忽视的热带病之一。研究表明，社区内对利什曼病流行病学方面的了解不足导致现有疾病控制项目的失败。因此，本研究重点对斯里兰卡阿努拉德普勒区马德瓦奇亚公共卫生检查员辖区内受威胁人群的现有认知情况进行详细调查，旨在帮助卫生工作人员今后有效地组织基于社区的病媒控制项目。通过使用结构化问卷对来自10个村行政分区的270户家庭的居民认知情况进行了评估。在143名女性和134名男性中，只有75.1%的人了解这种疾病，5.8%（即16人）的参与者只知道病媒，28.9%（即80人）知道控制方法。研究表明，在所研究的人群中对这种疾病的认知严重不足。研究发现年龄和教育水平对知识、态度和行为有显著影响。然而，性别、婚姻状况、职业、收入和支出等因素没有显示出显著的相关性。本研究表明，通过实施持续教育项目，在与社区相关的病媒控制方法方面取得更大成就的空间很大。
