Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding mosquito-borne diseases among migrant laborers from a migrant settlement in Ponekkara, Ernakulam Kerala

Abstract

Background: Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) such as Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, lymphatic filariasis, and Japanese Encephalitis are important public health problems in India. Ernakulam in Kerala being a hub of construction activities has a large influx of migrants from Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, U. P., Jharkhand, T. N., and Karnataka. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to MBDs and the associated factors among the migrant laborers from a migrant settlement in Ponekkara, Ernakulam Kerala. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among 179 migrant laborers from a migrant settlement in Ponekkara, Kerala, from September 2021 to November 2021 using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire to collect information regarding socio-demographic details and their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding mosquito borne diseases. After taking verbal consent, the questionnaire was administered by the investigator. Descriptive and univariate analysis was done using SPSS Version 20. Results: It was found that 58.4% of the migrant laborers had poor knowledge, 55.9% had poor attitude, and 61.5% of them had poor practice regarding MBDs. On univariate analysis, a statistically significant association was observed between attitude score and the level of education. Conclusion: The findings showed that migrant laborers had an overall poor knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding MBDs. Consequently, there is a need to plan an awareness program among the migrant settlements regarding MBDs.

Keywords

• attitude
• knowledge
• migrants
• mosquito-borne diseases
• practice