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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone

BACKGROUND: Bats are considered wildlife species of public health concern, as they are known to host various pathogenic agents, and their interactions with humans are potential routes of pathogen spillover. A high level of knowledge on Bat-borne Zoonotic Diseases (BZD), their causative agents, signs...

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Autores principales: Williams, Samuel Maxwell Tom, Ansumana, Rashid, Johnny, Jonathan, Bakarr, Ibrahim A, Osborne, Augustus
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10363381/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37489233
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S413802
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author Williams, Samuel Maxwell Tom
Ansumana, Rashid
Johnny, Jonathan
Bakarr, Ibrahim A
Osborne, Augustus
author_facet Williams, Samuel Maxwell Tom
Ansumana, Rashid
Johnny, Jonathan
Bakarr, Ibrahim A
Osborne, Augustus
author_sort Williams, Samuel Maxwell Tom
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Bats are considered wildlife species of public health concern, as they are known to host various pathogenic agents, and their interactions with humans are potential routes of pathogen spillover. A high level of knowledge on Bat-borne Zoonotic Diseases (BZD), their causative agents, signs, symptoms, mode and pattern of transmission, health attitudes, and practices towards the disorders are vital parameters in handling them. This study aimed to look into BZD knowledge, public attitudes, and behaviour. METHODS:  We surveyed the 14 chiefdoms of Moyamba district. A total of 421 participants were randomly sampled using closed-ended questionnaire. Simple linear regression analysis was used to determine the effects of gender, age, education, and livelihood opportunities on BZD knowledge (at 95% confidence interval and alpha value = 0.05). The findings were analysed and correlated with a scientific and public health perspective to assess the breadth of knowledge and awareness of BZD among the people of Moyamba district. RESULTS: The findings from the study show a low level of knowledge on BZD among the people of the Moyamba district, with only 119 (28.3%) individuals that had some knowledge about BZD. Of those that knew about BZD, 94 (79.0%) had very little knowledge, 24 (20.2%) had a fair amount, and 1 (0.8%) had a great deal of knowledge about BZD. The primary mode of knowledge dissemination was through social media platforms. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge about BZD is also very low. As a result of these findings, policymakers, health professionals, and environmental educators will be compelled to develop strategies to reduce the risk of BZD transmission in Sierra Leone’s population.
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spelling pubmed-103633812023-07-24 Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone Williams, Samuel Maxwell Tom Ansumana, Rashid Johnny, Jonathan Bakarr, Ibrahim A Osborne, Augustus Risk Manag Healthc Policy Original Research BACKGROUND: Bats are considered wildlife species of public health concern, as they are known to host various pathogenic agents, and their interactions with humans are potential routes of pathogen spillover. A high level of knowledge on Bat-borne Zoonotic Diseases (BZD), their causative agents, signs, symptoms, mode and pattern of transmission, health attitudes, and practices towards the disorders are vital parameters in handling them. This study aimed to look into BZD knowledge, public attitudes, and behaviour. METHODS:  We surveyed the 14 chiefdoms of Moyamba district. A total of 421 participants were randomly sampled using closed-ended questionnaire. Simple linear regression analysis was used to determine the effects of gender, age, education, and livelihood opportunities on BZD knowledge (at 95% confidence interval and alpha value = 0.05). The findings were analysed and correlated with a scientific and public health perspective to assess the breadth of knowledge and awareness of BZD among the people of Moyamba district. RESULTS: The findings from the study show a low level of knowledge on BZD among the people of the Moyamba district, with only 119 (28.3%) individuals that had some knowledge about BZD. Of those that knew about BZD, 94 (79.0%) had very little knowledge, 24 (20.2%) had a fair amount, and 1 (0.8%) had a great deal of knowledge about BZD. The primary mode of knowledge dissemination was through social media platforms. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge about BZD is also very low. As a result of these findings, policymakers, health professionals, and environmental educators will be compelled to develop strategies to reduce the risk of BZD transmission in Sierra Leone’s population. Dove 2023-07-19 /pmc/articles/PMC10363381/ /pubmed/37489233 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S413802 Text en © 2023 Williams et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) ). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).
spellingShingle Original Research
Williams, Samuel Maxwell Tom
Ansumana, Rashid
Johnny, Jonathan
Bakarr, Ibrahim A
Osborne, Augustus
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone
title Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone
title_full Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone
title_fullStr Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone
title_short Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone
title_sort knowledge, attitudes and practices assessment on bat-borne zoonotic diseases among the people of moyamba district, sierra leone
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10363381/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37489233
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S413802
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