Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Rural Households in Bojnourd, Iran Regarding the Fleas

Background and Objectives: Fleas are obligate blood-sucking ectoparasites of humans and animals, and their importance in general human health is mostly related to their ability to transmit infectious pathogens. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of rural households in Bojnourd, North Khorasan Province of Iran, regarding the fleas. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted from May to November 2020. The study population consisted of rural household members from 11 villages in Bojnourd City. The data were collected using a researcher-made KAP questionnaire with acceptable validity and reliability. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 20 using t-test and ANOVA. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Of 408 participants, 209 (51.23%) were female and 199 (48.77%) were male. Most of them were in the age group of 21-30 years (37.01%), and less in the age group above 41 years (11.27%)., and were employed (n=109, 26.71%). A significant difference was observed in KAP score based on gender, age, educational level, and occupation (P<0.05). The mean scores of knowledge, attitude and practice were 75.38%, 53.6% and 49.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The rural households in Bojnourd has a high knowledge of fleas, but their attitude and practice are low. Therefore, appropriate training programs are necessary to improve their attitude and practice