A community-based cross-sectional study on knowledge, attitude, and perceptions about asthma among healthy adults in rural South India.
J Family Med Prim Care
; 10(5): 1956-1962, 2021 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34195131
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Evidence suggests that proper knowledge and perceptions about asthma result in a positive correlation with compliance with medications and regular medical follow-up. Assessing the level of knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) in the community is essential for planning public health interventions. There is a lacuna on community-based KAP study on asthma in rural India, as most of the existing evidence is from hospital-based studies in an urban setting.METHODS:
We interviewed 280 healthy adults from 14 villages in South India using the Chicago community asthma survey-32 (CCAS-32) questionnaire. We noted the frequency distribution of responses to the questions and scored KAP on symptoms, triggers, and treatment, and performed bivariate and multivariate analyses.RESULTS:
The mean age was 37.7 years ranging from 18 to 62 years. Almost half of them (47%) had primary or middle school education. 40.7% and 57.9% believed severe headache and tightness of chest were symptoms of asthma, respectively. Similarly, 38.2% and 48.4% thought asthma was a hereditary and contagious disease, respectively, whereas 41.8% of perceived asthma medications could be addictive. Having witnessed "patients with asthma" was associated with KAP on symptoms and triggers while younger age and having a relative with asthma were associated with KAP on treatment independently. Participants who had relatives with asthma were three times [(OR 3.04; 95% (1.5-6.1)] more likely to have good KAP compared to their counterparts.CONCLUSION:
Asthma knowledge and perceptions are sparse in rural India. Adequate investments in public awareness are the need of the hour.
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MEDLINE
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En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article