Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>For intervention to be effective, it is essential that the knowledge, beliefs and perception of a specific social group are taken into account. This is particula...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Gondar
2013-02-01
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| Series: | Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development |
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| Online Access: | http://dcidj.org/article/view/179 |
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| author | Nidhi Jaswal BG Banerjee Anil K Sinha Sukhbir Singh |
| author_facet | Nidhi Jaswal BG Banerjee Anil K Sinha Sukhbir Singh |
| author_sort | Nidhi Jaswal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>For intervention to be effective, it is essential that the knowledge, beliefs and perception of a specific social group are taken into account. This is particularly true of leprosy where the problems of social stigma and ostracism are more prominent than the disease itself. There are many misconceptions about the cause, methods of transmission, and treatment. The main objectives of the study were to examine the socio-demographic profile of persons with leprosy and to explore their knowledge, beliefs and perception about the disease and its initial symptoms, within a specific socio-cultural milieu.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Method: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were held with a persons with leprosy at various clinics and care-homes for affected persons in and around Chandigarh, India. Those who had completed their treatment and those who were still undergoing treatment were included in the study. Data collection was done through case studies and in-depth interviews.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>The name of the disease varied across different geo-cultural zones. Many respondents who were afflicted with only red patches and had no ulcers, believed that they suffered from a skin disease which would turn into leprosy if proper medication was not received. The perception of 64.9 % of the respondents was that leprosy resulted from supernatural causes like God’s punishment, karma, and sin.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There is a need to educate persons with leprosy and their families about the etiology of the disease.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-IN"> </span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-effaf4b2fb6b42e096ff1b0069da8715 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2211-5242 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-02-01 |
| publisher | University of Gondar |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development |
| spelling | doaj-art-effaf4b2fb6b42e096ff1b0069da87152025-08-20T03:49:07ZengUniversity of GondarDisability, CBR and Inclusive Development2211-52422013-02-01234677510.5463/dcid.v23i4.179Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of LeprosyNidhi JaswalBG BanerjeeAnil K SinhaSukhbir Singh<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>For intervention to be effective, it is essential that the knowledge, beliefs and perception of a specific social group are taken into account. This is particularly true of leprosy where the problems of social stigma and ostracism are more prominent than the disease itself. There are many misconceptions about the cause, methods of transmission, and treatment. The main objectives of the study were to examine the socio-demographic profile of persons with leprosy and to explore their knowledge, beliefs and perception about the disease and its initial symptoms, within a specific socio-cultural milieu.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Method: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were held with a persons with leprosy at various clinics and care-homes for affected persons in and around Chandigarh, India. Those who had completed their treatment and those who were still undergoing treatment were included in the study. Data collection was done through case studies and in-depth interviews.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>The name of the disease varied across different geo-cultural zones. Many respondents who were afflicted with only red patches and had no ulcers, believed that they suffered from a skin disease which would turn into leprosy if proper medication was not received. The perception of 64.9 % of the respondents was that leprosy resulted from supernatural causes like God’s punishment, karma, and sin.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There is a need to educate persons with leprosy and their families about the etiology of the disease.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-IN"> </span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>http://dcidj.org/article/view/179Leprosyknowledgebeliefsperception |
| spellingShingle | Nidhi Jaswal BG Banerjee Anil K Sinha Sukhbir Singh Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development Leprosy knowledge beliefs perception |
| title | Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy |
| title_full | Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy |
| title_fullStr | Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy |
| title_short | Knowledge, Beliefs and Perception of Leprosy |
| title_sort | knowledge beliefs and perception of leprosy |
| topic | Leprosy knowledge beliefs perception |
| url | http://dcidj.org/article/view/179 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nidhijaswal knowledgebeliefsandperceptionofleprosy AT bgbanerjee knowledgebeliefsandperceptionofleprosy AT anilksinha knowledgebeliefsandperceptionofleprosy AT sukhbirsingh knowledgebeliefsandperceptionofleprosy |