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Background: Lassa fever is a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever with potentially severe morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the role of socio-psychological factors fuelling its spread The role of optimism bias, knowledge about Lassa fever symptoms, and demographic profile (gender and educational status) on perceived infectability to Lassa virus infection was investigated.
Method: Three hundred and ninety-one residents of Irrua, a Nigerian community with endemic Lassa fever were selected using multi-stage sampling. The cross sectional survey utilized 54-item questionnaire measuring optimum bias (r=.84); perceived infectability (r=.62); and knowledge of Lassa fever symptoms (r=.84) was used.
Result: Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in analysis, with three hypotheses tested at p<0.05. Gender ( = 2.63; P<.05) and educational status ( 2.53; P<.05) differences also affected perceived Lassa fever infectability; with females reporting significantly higher means ( 26.68± 6.94) than males ( 24.91±6.36). Participants with tertiary education reported higher perceived infectability ( 27.63±6.77) than participants with below tertiary education ( 25.10±6.24).
Conclusion: These factors are pertinent in understanding perceived infectability/vulnerability to Lassa virus. Attention to these variables and their inclusion in preventive health education are critical in the present multi-disciplinary primary prevention of Lassa infection outbreak in the population.
Keywords: Optimism bias, Knowledge about Lassa fever symptoms, perceived Lassa virus infectability, Nigeria.
Résumé
Contexte: La fièvre de Lassa est une fièvre hémorragique très infectieuse pouvant entraîner une morbidité et une mortalité potentiellement graves. On sait peu de choses sur le rôle des facteurs socio-psychologiques qui alimentent sa propagation. Lerôle du biais d’optimisme, de la connaissance des symptômes de la fièvre de Lassa et du profil démographique (sexe et statut scolaire) sur la transmissibilitéperçuede l’infection par le virus de Lassa a été étudié.
Méthode: Trois cent quatre-vingt-onze résidents d’Irrua, une communauté nigériane endémique à la fièvre de Lassa, ont été sélectionnés à l’aide d’un échantillonnage à étape multiple.L’enquête transversale a utilisé un questionnaire de 54 questions mesurant le biais optimal (r = 0,84); transmissibilitéperçue(r = 0,62); et la connaissance des symptômes de la fièvre de Lassa (r = 0,84) a été utilisée.
Résultat: Desstatistiques descriptives et d’inférences ont été utilisées dans l’analyse, avec trois hypothèses testées à p <0,05.Les différencesliées au sexe (=2,63; P <0,05) et au statut éducatif (= 2,53; P <0,05) ont également affecté la transmissibilité perçue de la fièvre de Lassa ; avec les femmes déclarant des moyennes significativement plus élevées (= 26,68 ± 6,94) que les hommes (= 24,91 ± 6,36).Les participants ayant suivi des études supérieures ont signalé une transmissibilitéperçue plus élevée (=27,63 ± 6,77) que les participants qui n’avaient pas des études supérieures (= 25,10 ± 6,24).
Conclusion: Ces facteurs sont pertinents pour comprendre la transmissibilité/ vulnérabilité perçue au virus de Lassa.L’attention portée à ces variables et leur inclusion dans l’éducation préventive à la santé sont essentielles dans le cadre de la prévention primaire multidisciplinaire actuelle d’un déclenchement épidémique de l’infection de Lassa dans la population.
Mots clés: Biais d’optimisme, connaissances sur les symptômes de la fièvre de Lassa, perception de transmissibilité du virus de Lassa, Nigéria.
Correspondence: Dr. A.O. Adejumo, Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. E-mail: bisiandbayo@yahoo.com.
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