Health literacy and preventive behaviors against rabies among residents of Chuen Chom District, Maha Sarakham Province, 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/dcj.2025.8Keywords:
health literacy, rabies, health behaviorsAbstract
This cross-sectional descriptive study aims to assess the level of health literacy among residents in areas with continuous rabies outbreaks in animals and reported human bite cases in Chuen Chom District, Maha Sarakham Province. The study was conducted using a questionnaire with a sample of 215 participants. The study found that 90.2% of the respondents were female, and 61.8% were aged 51 years and older. Regarding education, 75.3% had completed secondary school, vocational certificate, or diploma levels. Overall, 38.6% of the participants had an insufficient level of health literacy, with decision-making skills being the most problematic area. In terms of rabies knowledge, 49.8% had a moderate level, while 33.0% had a very good level of understanding. Regarding rabies prevention behaviors, 67.4% demonstrated excellent preventive practices. The most common source of rabies prevention information was healthcare personnel (81.4%). The findings highlight the urgent need to enhance rabies-related health literacy among the public. Public health agencies, in collaboration with relevant networks, should establish accessible and accurate information databases. Recommendations: 1) Improve all five aspects of health literacy among residents in high-risk areas; 2) Increasing rabies prevention campaigns in order to correct common misconceptions about rabies, such as the belief that all rabid dogs are aggressive and that rabies is a curable disease.
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