Leprosy is an ancient disease that has been described in many literatures and it is associated with stigma and discrimination. Many people have different beliefs about the causes of Leprosy. Health education is one of the ways to correct common misconceptions and myths about Leprosy. Determination of the perceptions of colony dwellers about the causes of Leprosy will be a great help in designing an effective health education campaign to limit the spread of leprosy among the colony dwellers. Primary objective of this study was to inquire about the perceptions of persons affected by leprosy (PALs) residing in the BHS leprosy colony, Ogbomoso about the causes of leprosy which may be helpful in designing effective health education campaigns that address the common misconceptions and myths about leprosy among colony dwellers. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the BHS leprosy colony. There were 34 PALs in the BHS leprosy colony but only the 29 PALs who consented to the study were included. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic information, including the duration of the illness, the time the treatment was commenced, and perceived causes of Leprosy. The majority (62.1%) of the study participants belong to the age group 51-70. Almost one-half were married (44.8%) and more than one-half were female (51.7%). Almost one-third of the PALs (27.6%) had a negative perception about the causes of leprosy while only 13.8% had a positive perception of the causes of leprosy. To conclude, the positive perception of the causes of leprosy among the PALs residing in the BHS leprosy colony is very poor. This information would be useful to guide the development of culturally sensitive campaigns that emphasize the true causes of leprosy. The health education campaign needs to focus on colony dwellers’ education, dispelling myths, and promoting early detection and treatment. Considering the small sample size of participants from one colony only it will not be appropriate to extrapolate the findings to other settings.
BT - Indian Journal of Leprosy LA - ENG M3 - Article N2 -Leprosy is an ancient disease that has been described in many literatures and it is associated with stigma and discrimination. Many people have different beliefs about the causes of Leprosy. Health education is one of the ways to correct common misconceptions and myths about Leprosy. Determination of the perceptions of colony dwellers about the causes of Leprosy will be a great help in designing an effective health education campaign to limit the spread of leprosy among the colony dwellers. Primary objective of this study was to inquire about the perceptions of persons affected by leprosy (PALs) residing in the BHS leprosy colony, Ogbomoso about the causes of leprosy which may be helpful in designing effective health education campaigns that address the common misconceptions and myths about leprosy among colony dwellers. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the BHS leprosy colony. There were 34 PALs in the BHS leprosy colony but only the 29 PALs who consented to the study were included. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic information, including the duration of the illness, the time the treatment was commenced, and perceived causes of Leprosy. The majority (62.1%) of the study participants belong to the age group 51-70. Almost one-half were married (44.8%) and more than one-half were female (51.7%). Almost one-third of the PALs (27.6%) had a negative perception about the causes of leprosy while only 13.8% had a positive perception of the causes of leprosy. To conclude, the positive perception of the causes of leprosy among the PALs residing in the BHS leprosy colony is very poor. This information would be useful to guide the development of culturally sensitive campaigns that emphasize the true causes of leprosy. The health education campaign needs to focus on colony dwellers’ education, dispelling myths, and promoting early detection and treatment. Considering the small sample size of participants from one colony only it will not be appropriate to extrapolate the findings to other settings.
PY - 2024 SP - 185 EP - 196 T2 - Indian Journal of Leprosy TI - Perceptions of Persons Affected by Leprosy About the Causes of the Disease: A tool to Design Effective Health Education Campaigns for Colony Dwellers UR - https://scholar.google.nl/scholar_url?url=https://www.ijl.org.in/published-articles/16092024125000/1_original_article_IO_Amole_et_al_print_version.pdf&hl=nl&sa=X&d=4818916505011126733&ei=jPHwZo7hA8u_y9YPv4SGmQ0&scisig=AFWwaeaA3br7DQyya4cRCV7qIyDc&oi=schol ER -