Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of the General Population toward the Old-New Outbreak of Cholera in a Developing Country

Abstract

Background: In October 2022, the first case of cholera since 1993 was recorded in Lebanon. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward cholera infection and its prevention among the general population in Lebanon and identify the associated factors related to the KAP assessment to guide prevention and awareness strategies. The nation’s already precarious healthcare system might become overwhelmed by the response to the cholera outbreak. Therefore, evaluating the level of cholera-related KAP among the Lebanese population is crucial since it directly affects the disease’s treatment, control, and prevention. Methods: This online cross-sectional study was carried out between October and November 2022 during the cholera outbreak in Lebanon. Snowball sampling was used to recruit 448 adults living in Lebanon. Results: The suggested KAP scales had adequate structural and convergent validity and were internally consistent. The disease knowledge was inversely associated with the reluctance to receive educational information (β = −1.58) and cigarette smoking (β = −1.31) but positively associated with the female gender (β = 1.74) and awareness of vaccine availability and efficacy (β = 1.34). For attitude, healthcare professionals were less frightened than others (β = 2.69). Better practices were related to better knowledge (β = 0.43), while inadequate practices were associated with getting information from social media (β = −2.47). Conclusions: This study could identify notable gaps in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices, which varied according to participant characteristics. Cholera incidence can be reduced by improved community education and training, increased access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene amenities, and changes in behavior. These findings warrant additional actions by public health stakeholders and governmental authorities to promote better practices and curb disease transmission.

Keywords

• cholera
• waterborne
• foodborne
• knowledge
• attitude
• practice