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High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda

Tungiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that can cause significant suffering and disability. Health promotion is an important pillar in NTD control programs, assuming that better knowledge contributes to reduced risk behavior and reduced risk of infection. The study objective was to assess t...

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Autores principales: Thielecke, Marlene, McNeilly, Hannah, Mutebi, Francis, Banalyaki, Mike B., Arono, Rebecca, Wiese, Susanne, Reichert, Felix, Mukone, George, Feldmeier, Hermann
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10537667/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37755887
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8090425
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author Thielecke, Marlene
McNeilly, Hannah
Mutebi, Francis
Banalyaki, Mike B.
Arono, Rebecca
Wiese, Susanne
Reichert, Felix
Mukone, George
Feldmeier, Hermann
author_facet Thielecke, Marlene
McNeilly, Hannah
Mutebi, Francis
Banalyaki, Mike B.
Arono, Rebecca
Wiese, Susanne
Reichert, Felix
Mukone, George
Feldmeier, Hermann
author_sort Thielecke, Marlene
collection PubMed
description Tungiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that can cause significant suffering and disability. Health promotion is an important pillar in NTD control programs, assuming that better knowledge contributes to reduced risk behavior and reduced risk of infection. The study objective was to assess tungiasis-related knowledge and its translation into control practices in a rural and highly endemic setting in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda. We applied a mixed-methods design on household and community level. A semi-quantitative questionnaire on knowledge, practices, and attitudes (KAP) regarding tungiasis was administered to 1329 individuals with the main caring responsibilities in the household. Additionally, eight community dialogue meetings were held and analyzed. Overall, knowledge of tungiasis in humans was high but knowledge of tungiasis in animals was low. Most questionnaire respondents knew the causative agent and clinical presentations of tungiasis in humans, risk factors, and preventive measures. This tungiasis-related knowledge was translated into simple prevention measures. However, adequate tungiasis control was impeded due to a lack of resources, such as access to water and effective medical treatment. In conclusion, health promotion campaigns should be integrated with support towards adequate tungiasis control measures, such as provision of safe treatment, hardening of non-solid floors in the houses, and improved access to water.
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spelling pubmed-105376672023-09-29 High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda Thielecke, Marlene McNeilly, Hannah Mutebi, Francis Banalyaki, Mike B. Arono, Rebecca Wiese, Susanne Reichert, Felix Mukone, George Feldmeier, Hermann Trop Med Infect Dis Article Tungiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that can cause significant suffering and disability. Health promotion is an important pillar in NTD control programs, assuming that better knowledge contributes to reduced risk behavior and reduced risk of infection. The study objective was to assess tungiasis-related knowledge and its translation into control practices in a rural and highly endemic setting in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda. We applied a mixed-methods design on household and community level. A semi-quantitative questionnaire on knowledge, practices, and attitudes (KAP) regarding tungiasis was administered to 1329 individuals with the main caring responsibilities in the household. Additionally, eight community dialogue meetings were held and analyzed. Overall, knowledge of tungiasis in humans was high but knowledge of tungiasis in animals was low. Most questionnaire respondents knew the causative agent and clinical presentations of tungiasis in humans, risk factors, and preventive measures. This tungiasis-related knowledge was translated into simple prevention measures. However, adequate tungiasis control was impeded due to a lack of resources, such as access to water and effective medical treatment. In conclusion, health promotion campaigns should be integrated with support towards adequate tungiasis control measures, such as provision of safe treatment, hardening of non-solid floors in the houses, and improved access to water. MDPI 2023-08-24 /pmc/articles/PMC10537667/ /pubmed/37755887 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8090425 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Thielecke, Marlene
McNeilly, Hannah
Mutebi, Francis
Banalyaki, Mike B.
Arono, Rebecca
Wiese, Susanne
Reichert, Felix
Mukone, George
Feldmeier, Hermann
High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda
title High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda
title_full High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda
title_fullStr High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda
title_full_unstemmed High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda
title_short High Level of Knowledge about Tungiasis but Little Translation into Control Practices in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda
title_sort high level of knowledge about tungiasis but little translation into control practices in karamoja, northeastern uganda
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10537667/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37755887
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8090425
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