02681nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002300054653001400077653002300091653001400114653001200128653001400140653001800154100001700172700001400189700001500203700001300218245011000231856007700341300000900418490000700427520196700434022001402401       2024                            d  c01/202410aHansen’s disease10aAttitudes10aHealthcare workers10aKnowledge10aleprosy10aPractices10aSocial Stigma1 aPandapatan A1 aDofitas B1 aGervasio M1 aDumlao J00aKnowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Barangay Health Workers in Marawi City regarding Hansen's Disease.  uhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11484597/pdf/AMP-58-17-7474.pdf  a8-160 v583 a<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) in Marawi City regarding Hansen's Disease (HD).</p>

<p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted among the Barangay Health Workers of Marawi City. This study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 was questionnaire development where the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) questionnaire was formulated and administered to six Barangay Health Workers for pre-testing. Phase 2 of the study included the survey and focus group discussion (FGD). A questionnaire comprising of 27 questions was administered to BHWs to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding HD.</p>

<p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 49 BHWs underwent the Phase 2 survey and six BHWs joined the FGD. The mean age of all the survey participants was 34.9 ± 19.3 years. Among the 49 participants, 40 (81.6%) were females. The knowledge of BHWs was found to be adequate only in six (12%) BHWs. Positive attitude was observed in 12 (24.5%) and adequate practices regarding HD were observed in 33 (67.3%) BHWs. First-hand experience of diagnosing HD patients was significantly associated with adequate knowledge (p &lt; 0.001) and positive attitude of BHWs (p &lt; 0.001). There was a significant association between &gt; 5 years of experience as BHWs (p = 0.027) and first-hand experience in diagnosing leprosy (p = 0.005) with adequate practices of BHWs regarding HD. In the FGD, BHWs expressed their lack of training which highlighted the need for refresher courses on HD.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Knowledge about HD is low among Marawi BHWs due to their inadequate training. The attitudes and practices of BHWs are also affected because of deficient knowledge regarding etiology and transmission of HD. There is a need for adequate training and refresher courses on HD to increase the knowledge of BHWs regarding HD.</p>
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