Knowledge attitudes and practices of household heads toward rabies and associated factors in Tarcha Town, Southwest Ethiopia

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic viral disease and remains a major public health challenge in developing countries, including Ethiopia. The burden is driven by limited community awareness, poor preventive practices, and inadequate access to timely post-exposure prophylaxis. Evidence on knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward rabies is limited in southwestern Ethiopia, particularly in Tarcha Town. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding rabies among household heads and to identify factors associated with KAP levels. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2023 among 548 household heads selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire, entered into EpiData version 3.1, and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with KAP outcomes. Overall, 60.8% of respondents had good knowledge, 52.2% had positive attitudes, and 56.0% demonstrated good practices toward rabies prevention and control. Ownership of two or more dogs was significantly associated with good knowledge (AOR = 5.39, 95% CI 2.54–11.48, p < 0.001). Participants who could reach a veterinary clinic within 30 min had higher odds of having a positive attitude toward rabies prevention and control compared with those who required more than 30 min to reach a veterinary clinic (AOR = 3.17, 95% CI 1.14–8.86). Participants with a previous history of dog-bite exposure had higher odds of good rabies-prevention practices than participants without such a history. (AOR = 4.33, 95% CI 2.14–8.74, p < 0.001). This study found that more than half of the household heads had adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices regarding rabies. However, misconceptions and inadequate preventive practices were still observed among a considerable proportion of participants. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices were significantly associated with several socio-demographic and access-related factors. These findings indicate the need to strengthen rabies awareness and health education interventions in the study area.