Pudasainee Muskan, Paneru Damaru Prasad, Acharya Baburam, Sharma Prabin, Khanal Anil, Rana Bibash, Adhikari Shiksha, Adhikari Chiranjivi
Pokhara University, School of Health and Allied Sciences, Pokhara, Kaski, Nepal.
Health Office Baglung, Baglung, Gandaki, Nepal.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jul 21;5(7):e0004910. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004910. eCollection 2025.
Lymphatic filariasis (LF), a neglected tropical disease, remains a significant public health challenge in endemic regions including Baglung Municipality of Nepal. This study investigates the acceptability of mass drug administration (MDA) for LF in Baglung Municipality of Nepal.
A cross-sectional, mixed-method study was conducted in Baglung Municipality among 272 community people. Three Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted among 25 commmunity members. Quantitative data were collected using pretested structured questionnaires and FGDs were conducted using structured guideline. Probability proportional to size sampling was done to select desired number of participants. EpiData 3.1 was used for data entry and IBM SPSS 22 was employed for quantitative data analysis. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression was applied. Similarly, thematic analysis was done for qualitative data analysis.
The study revealed that 84.2% were aware of MDA with 48.5% of participants having good knowledge about LF. About 59.3% and 45.2% had a positive attitude towards MDA and LF respectively. More than four fifth (80.5%) of the participants had accepted the MDA campaign with 91.5% having received MDA medication. Significant factors for MDA acceptability included educational status, attitude towards MDA, fear of side effects, and medication received. Qualitative data highlighted the strong influence of effective communication by health workers on MDA acceptance.
Knowledge on LF was found low among the participants with lesser proportion having positive attitude towards LF; highlighting the need for an increase in knowledge and attitude towards LF. The study shows the high level of acceptability of MDA; primarily influenced by the effective communication by health workers and the public trust in health services. Health workers led community-based strategies and programs are recommended for the high acceptance of MDA and the development of a positive attitude for better compliance.
淋巴丝虫病（LF）是一种被忽视的热带病，在包括尼泊尔巴隆市在内的流行地区仍然是一项重大的公共卫生挑战。本研究调查了尼泊尔巴隆市大规模药物治疗（MDA）防治淋巴丝虫病的可接受性。
在巴隆市对272名社区居民开展了一项横断面混合方法研究。对25名社区成员进行了3次焦点小组讨论（FGD）。使用预先测试的结构化问卷收集定量数据，并使用结构化指南进行焦点小组讨论。采用规模概率抽样法选择所需数量的参与者。使用EpiData 3.1进行数据录入，使用IBM SPSS 22进行定量数据分析。应用描述性统计和逻辑回归。同样，对定性数据进行了主题分析。
研究显示，84.2%的人知晓大规模药物治疗，48.5%的参与者对淋巴丝虫病有充分了解。分别约有59.3%和45.2%的人对大规模药物治疗和淋巴丝虫病持积极态度。超过五分之四（80.5%）的参与者接受了大规模药物治疗活动，91.5%的人接受过大规模药物治疗用药。大规模药物治疗可接受性的显著因素包括教育程度、对大规模药物治疗的态度、对副作用的恐惧以及接受的用药情况。定性数据突出了卫生工作者的有效沟通对大规模药物治疗接受度的强烈影响。
研究发现参与者对淋巴丝虫病的了解程度较低，对淋巴丝虫病持积极态度的比例较小；这突出表明需要提高对淋巴丝虫病的认识和态度。该研究表明大规模药物治疗的可接受程度很高；主要受到卫生工作者有效沟通以及公众对卫生服务信任的影响。建议采用由卫生工作者主导的社区战略和项目，以提高大规模药物治疗的接受度，并培养积极态度以实现更好的依从性。
