Profile of knowledge about leprosy among residents of a Family Health Strategy

• Autor(a) principal: Silva, Patrick Leonardo Nogueira da
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Hansenologia Internationalis (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.saude.sp.gov.br/hansenologia/article/view/36193
• topic: Conhecimento; Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa; Sinais e Sintomas; Hanseníase; Knowledge; nfectious Disease Transmission; Vertical; Signs and Symptoms; Leprosy

This study aims to identify the perceptions on leprosy of residents from a Family Health Strategy. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study. The sampling process resulted from the participation of 152 residents attended at a Health Unit located in northern Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. We used a structured interview in which a form was applied to the study participants. Of the 152 residents interviewed, larger subsamples were aged 18-25 years (26.3%), brown (48%), with primary education (44%) and unemployed (43.4%). Fifty eight percent heard about the disease, 50.6% inform themselves through television, 43.4% are unaware about campaigns to promote health, 76% said they did not know how leprosy is transmitted, but only 7.2% said be transmitted through the air, 79% are unaware of government programs to combat leprosy, and 51.9% correctly report the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, we concluded that the respondents had little knowledgeabout the disease in order to prevent infection. It is necessary to integrate the work of the Health Units in disseminating knowledge to the population and improve the quality of life of the region.