Knowledge, attitude and practicesregarding tungiasis in the population of lahore and chiniot
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Date
2022-09-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UMT Lahore
Abstract
Tungiasis is a zoonotic disease caused by the sand flea, belonging to Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta, Order Siphonaptera, Family Hectopsyllidae, and Genus Tunga. These fleas typically inhabit sandy environments in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. A community-based comparative study was conducted in District Lahore (n=800) and Chiniot (n=800), with participant ages ranging from 20 to over 40 years. Independent variables such as tehsil, gender, age, religion, education, occupation, years in occupation, economic status, and marital status were compared against dependent variables—Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAPs)—using T-tests to determine significant associations. The analysis revealed that knowledge scores were significantly associated with age, occupation, and education status, but not with the number of animals or economic status. Attitude was significantly associated with age, occupation, education, marital status, and monthly income, while practice showed no significant association with age, occupation, education, income, or number of animals. Overall, the study highlighted low levels of KAPs regarding Tungiasis, indicating a strong need for increased awareness and education about this zoonotic disease. The findings emphasize the importance of improving veterinary services in rural areas and delivering effective health education to control Tungiasis and reduce human-animal transmission in Lahore and Chiniot.