KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES (KAP) REGARDING ZOONOTIC DISEASES AMONG SMALLHOLDER LIVESTOCK OWNERS OF TULSIPUR SUB-METROPOLITAN CITY, NEPAL

Abstract

A questionnaire based study was conducted in Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city to assess the community’s knowledge, attitude, and practice on zoonosis. A total of 177 participants from 19 different wards were purposively selected and requested to answer the questionnaire. The educational level of farmers was positively associated with their knowledge towards zoonosis (P<0.05) in which farmers with lower educational background had less knowledge about zoonosis. The respondents’ attitude towards zoonotic disease prevention & control was found to be statistically significant with the educational background. Among those who have a positive perception of zoonotic prevention, about 25.3% of respondents were having college and university education while 52.6% of those who didn’t have a positive perception of the zoonotic disease prevention were illiterate. The educational level of the respondents was statistically significant with their practices towards zoonotic diseases (P<0.05). Respondents who had lower educational levels consumed raw milk, dead animals and assisted during parturition and other animal diseases without safety measures. Community education and awareness programmes are to be defined and further investigations on prevalence and risk factors for zoonosis in such settings will be necessary to define intervention targets.