PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
(1) Background: Rabies is a neglected zoonosis considered to be one of the most significant health threats in the world, responsible of thousands of deaths globally. Algeria is one of the main countries of concern, with more than 15 deaths and more than 100,000 bites by rabid-suspected animals being reported annually. This study was conducted to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) toward this disease among university students in the endemic region of Algeria. (2) Methods: a cross-sectional online survey was conducted between June 2023 and March 2024 using a self administered questionnaire. (3) Results: a total of 409 students completed the questionnaire. Overall, 91.2% of them were singles, 70.7% were females, and two-thirds (66%) were between their twenties and thirties in regard to age. The majority were studying for Bachelor\'s degrees, and the most represented fields of study were Humanities (31.5%) and Natural and Life Sciences (29.1%).The findings revealed a moderate level of knowledge (63% of correct responses), a positive attitude, and appropriate practices. However, the surveyed students have certain gaps in their information regarding disease transmission, its risk factors, and its clinical signs. In addition, some of them have also shown some negative attitudes, including approving of the systematic killing of a dog who bites someone regardless of its vaccine status (59.2%), and inappropriate practices, especially in regard to unawareness of the importance of early washing of bite wounds, which was reported among 64.5% of the surveyed students. The study also revealed the association of health sciences education with knowledge (AOR: 2.723, CI 95%: 1.317-5.634), attitude (AOR: 2.306, CI 95%: 1.113-4.779) and practice (AOR: 3.560, CI 95%: 1.632-7.769), and the effect of the high level of knowledge on the attitude of surveyed students (AOR: 1.607, CI 95%: 1.052-2.456). (4) Conclusion: These results provide the first report regarding rabies KAP among Algerian university students. Based on these results, the health deciders could adopt their preventive strategy by raising awareness of the less-informed categories, which would consequently affect their behaviors regarding this fatal disease.
摘要：
(1)背景：狂犬病是一种被忽视的人畜共患疾病，被认为是世界上最重要的健康威胁之一。负责全球数千人死亡。阿尔及利亚是受关注的主要国家之一,每年报告有超过15人死亡，超过10万例狂犬病疑似动物咬伤。这项研究是为了评估知识水平，阿尔及利亚流行地区大学生对这种疾病的态度和实践（KAP）。（2）方法：在2023年6月至2024年3月之间使用自编问卷进行了横断面在线调查。(3)结果:共有409名学生完成问卷。总的来说,其中91.2%是单身人士,70.7%是女性，三分之二(66%)的年龄在二三十岁之间。大多数人都在攻读学士学位，最具代表性的研究领域是人文科学(31.5%)和自然与生命科学(29.1%)。调查结果显示，知识水平适中(63%的正确回答)，积极的态度,和适当的做法。然而,被调查的学生在关于疾病传播的信息上有一定的差距，其风险因素，和它的临床症状。此外,他们中的一些人也表现出了一些负面的态度，包括批准系统地杀死咬人的狗，无论其疫苗状况如何（59.2％），和不适当的做法，特别是关于不知道早期清洗咬伤的重要性，在64.5%的被调查学生中报告了这一点。该研究还揭示了健康科学教育与知识的关联（AOR：2.723，CI95％：1.317-5.634），态度（AOR：2.306，CI95%：1.113-4.779）和实践（AOR：3.560，CI95%：1.632-7.769），以及高知识水平对被调查学生态度的影响（AOR：1.607，CI95％：1.052-2.456）。（4）结论：这些结果提供了有关阿尔及利亚大学生狂犬病KAP的第一份报告。基于这些结果,卫生决策者可以通过提高对信息较少的类别的认识来采取预防策略，这将影响他们对这种致命疾病的行为。
