USING A KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES SURVEY TO SUPPLEMENT FINDINGS OF AN OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION - CHOLERA PREVENTION MEASURES DURING THE 1991 EPIDEMIC IN PERU
Re. Quick et al., USING A KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES SURVEY TO SUPPLEMENT FINDINGS OF AN OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION - CHOLERA PREVENTION MEASURES DURING THE 1991 EPIDEMIC IN PERU, International journal of epidemiology, 25(4), 1996, pp. 872-878
Background. To assess the effectiveness of the cholera prevention acti
vities of the Peruvian Ministry of Health, we conducted a knowledge, a
ttitudes, and practices (KAP) survey in urban and rural Amazon communi
ties during the cholera epidemic in 1991. Methods. We surveyed heads o
f 67 urban and 61 rural households to determine diarrhoea rates, sourc
es of cholera prevention information, and knowledge, attitudes, and pr
actices regarding ten cholera prevention measures. Results. Twenty-fiv
e per cent of 482 urban and 11% of 454 rural household members had dia
rrhoea during the first 3-4 months of the epidemic. Exposure to mass m
edia education was greater in urban areas, and education through inter
personal communication was more prevalent in rural villages. Ninety-th
ree per cent of rural and 67% of urban respondents believed they could
prevent cholera. The mean numbers of correct responses to ten knowled
ge questions were 7.8 for urban and 8.2 for rural respondents. Practic
es lagged behind knowledge and attitudes (mean correct response to ten
possible: urban 4.9, rural 4.6). Seventy-five per cent of respondents
drank untreated water and 91% ate unwashed produce, both of which wer
e identified as cholera risk factors in a concurrently conducted case-
control study. Conclusions. The cholera prevention campaign successful
ly educated respondents, but did not cause many to adopt preventive be
haviours. Direct interpersonal education by community-based personnel
may enhance the likelihood of translating education into changes in he
alth behaviours. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices surveys conducted
with case-control studies during an epidemic can be an effective meth
od of refining education/control programmes.