“What do you know?”——knowledge among village doctors of lead poisoning in children in rural China

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the extent of village doctors’ knowledge of lead poisoning in children in rural China and assesses the characteristics associated with possessing accurate knowledge. METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of 297 village doctors in Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, China was conducted. All village doctors were interviewed face-to-face using a “What do you know” test questionnaire focusing on prevention strategies and lead sources in rural children. RESULTS: A total of 287 (96.6%) village doctors completed the survey in full. Most village doctors had an appropriate degree of general knowledge of lead poisoning; however, they had relatively poor knowledge of lead sources and prevention measures. Village doctors with an undergraduate level education scored an average of 2.7 points higher than those who had a junior college level education (p = 0.033). Village doctors with an annual income ≤ 10,000 RMB yuan scored 1.03 points lower than those whose income was >10,001 RMB yuan. Ethnic Han village doctors scored 1.12 points higher, on average, than ethnic Tujia village doctors (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified important gaps in knowledge concerning lead poisoning in children among a rural population of village doctors. There is a clear need for multifaceted interventions that target village doctors to improve their knowledge regarding lead poisoning in children. The “What do you know” questionnaire is a new tool to evaluate lead poisoning knowledge and education projects.