Investigation of community knowledge, attitudes and stigma towards leprosy in Nigeria: a mixed-methods study

Background: Little is known about community knowledge and stigma towards leprosy in endemic settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate community knowledge, attitudes and stigma towards leprosy in Nigeria.

Methods: This was a mixed-methods study consisting of a quantitative cross-sectional survey of community members and qualitative focus group discussions with community members and people affected by leprosy as well as key informant interviews with healthcare workers and community leaders.

Results: Of the 811 survey participants, 401 (49.4%) had a poor knowledge of leprosy that was driven by cultural beliefs, fear of its contagiousness and poor knowledge of its means of transmission. The participants reported high stigma levels with a mean score of 18.96±7.73 on the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue Community Stigma Scale and 9.39±7.03 on the Social Distance Scale. Stigma levels were influenced by age, residence, education and knowledge of leprosy. Qualitative data suggested that community members were scared of leprosy infectiousness, and local illness concepts and misconceptions informed attitudes and behaviour towards leprosy in the community.

Conclusion: Community members have a poor knowledge of, and high stigma levels towards leprosy. Culture-specific health education and behavioural change interventions are needed to address the identified gaps.