Journal of Infectious Diseases and Diagnosis

Abstract

Assessing the Impact of Health Education on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Rabies Prevention Amongst Dog Owners in Eastern Cape

Mfundelwa Wilbert Zangwa*, Jimmy Hussein Kihara, Kirstie Eastwood, Wilma Ten-Ham-Baloyi, Opeoluwa Oyedele and Paula Ezinne Melariri

Although rabies is a deadly contagious zoonotic disease, it is fully preventable through vaccination of dogs and health education. In this study, we sought to assess the impact of health education on the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding rabies prevention and control by dog owners in rural and semi-urban communities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group, pre-post-test, research design was used. Pre and post-data were collected from 203 and 198 participants, respectively in a door-to-door strategy using a structured questionnaire. An educational intervention including pamphlets and posters with information on rabies was implemented. Data were analysed using dependent samples t-tests. The knowledge scores for pre-to and post- education intervention were 20.7% and 23.2%, attitude scores were 24.7% and 25.4%, respectively while practice remained unchanged at 25.0% for both pre and post-intervention. A statistically significant increase was observed in the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices scores after the educational intervention (p<0.001), particularly concerning knowledge of rabies symptoms domain. The mean symptom scores pre and post-education intervention scored by the study population in all rabies symptoms were 23.92 (± 19.03) and 36.14 (± 19.70) respectively. A one-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) was performed to determine whether participants provided a statistically significant difference in the dog housing options; however, no statistically significant differences were found across the different housing options at p=0.785. The educational intervention proved to be efficient in enhancing dog owners' knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning rabies prevention and control.

Published Date: 2024-10-25; Received Date: 2024-09-23