Philippine E-Journals

Knowledge and Health Practices on Leptospirosis among Residents of Selected Districts in Iloilo City

Mary Angela Cortez | Althea Marie Faderan | Geonalyn Mae Palacios | Rica Marie Subong | Estelita Dela Cruz | Louie P. Hijalda

 

Abstract:

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic infection with a much greater incidence in tropical regions and has now been identified as one of the emerging infectious diseases. (Downs, 2018) Overall, leptospirosis was estimated to cause 1.03 million cases and 58,900 deaths each year. (WHO, 2018) Despite the program implemented by the Department of Health, there is still an increase number of people who were affected by Leptospirosis. The Department of Health has recorded 1,030 cases this year from January 1 to June 9. This is up 41 percent from the same period last year. What's more alarming is that 99 patients have died due to leptospirosis. In Metro Manila, the numbers are even higher with 234 cases recorded by the DOH from January 1 to July 1. There was a 60-percent jump from the 146 cases recorded in the same period last year. In Metro Manila, 38 people have died due to leptospirosis. (CNN Philippines, 2018). In Western Visayas has recorded 232 leptospirosis cases with 27 deaths from January 1 to June 16 this year, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6. The cases have increased by more than 100 percent compared with the 87 cases recorded in the same period of last year. This research study aimed to determine the knowledge and health practices on Leptospirosis among the residents of selected districts in Iloilo City. This was a descriptive-correlational method using a one-shot survey was used in the study. The respondents of this study were 392 residents of two (2) selected districts of Iloilo City, namely Villa Arevalo and Molo. The researchers-made questionnaire was pre-tested to 20 respondents taken from Jaro and Lapaz, Iloilo who were eventually not included in the study. The statistical tool was subjected to Cronbach’s Alpha results revealed of 0.809, which indicates that the instrument had a high degree of reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result showed that there was a significant relationship existed between family income with a chi square value of 20.985, p= 0.000 and educational attainment with a chi square of 15.082, p= 0.005 in terms of knowledge and their health practices. Most of the respondents were female, middle-aged adults 36-55 years old, high school level, and belonged to the low family income category. Most of them had average level of knowledge regarding the cause, routes of transmission, signs and symptoms, treatment and preventive measures of leptospirosis and majority of them had good health practices toward different approaches performed in preventing and contributing to the prevention of Leptospirosis. The researchers concluded that the knowledge of the respondents do not influence their health practices. This means regardless of their knowledge whether high or low they perceived their health practices similarly. The Department of Health should strengthen their health programs by conducting health education, health promotion and health prevention program to educate the people in enhancing their understanding about leptospirosis.