Survey of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Farmers About Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Abstract

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is an acute febrile disease. It is one of the most common diseases among humans and animals. Objectives: Due to the presence of the disease in Iran, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of farmers about Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 300 farmers in north and south villages of Khorramabad city selected using stratified sampling. The instrument used in the study was a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure the knowledge, attitude, and practice of people in contact with the livestock. After completing the questionnaire, the data were analyzed by SPSS using nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation coefficient). Results: The mean age of the participants was 38.94 ± 14.28 years. The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice of the participants regarding CCHF were 18.46 ± 5.05, 40.7 ± 2.18, and 6.42 ± 3.40, respectively. There was a significant relationship between knowledge (P < 0.001), attitude (P < 0.001), and practice (P < 0.001) scores and the education level and marital status (P < 0.001). The results showed a significant inverse correlation between age and attitude (P < 0.001. r = -0.33), knowledge (P < 0.001. r = -0.42), and practice (P < 0.001. r = -0.39). There was a significant positive relationship between practice and knowledge (P = 0.001. r = -0.39) and attitude (P < 0.001. r = -0.39). Conclusions: Due to the insufficient performance of farmers concerning disease prevention and health protection behaviors. implementation of an educational program to increase the level of knowledge could promote their prevention behavior Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.