Community Participation in the Mass Drug ‎Administration and their Knowledge, ‎Attitudes, and Practices on Management of Filarial Lymphoedema in Lindi District, ‎Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study‎

Background and study aim: Lindi District is among hotspots area for lymphatic filariasis (LF) after eleven rounds of mass drug ‎administration (MDA) in Tanzania. Though transmission has remarkably been reduced, ‎lymphoedema has remained a public health problem. The frequency of the community ‎participation in the MDA, their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding lymphoedema ‎management has not been fully established. This study examined the frequency of community ‎participation on the MDA and their KAP on lymphoedema management in the Lindi district‎‎‎‎‎.

Methods: ‎‎‎ A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2020. A total of 954 individuals were ‎interviewed on their KAP on lymphoedema management and MDA by using an interview ‎schedule. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. The ‎community KAP was summarized into frequency tables and proportions. The chi-square test was ‎used to compare proportions at the significance level of 0.05‎‎‎.‎

Results: The large majority (83.9%) participated in the previous MDA rounds, with more than three-‎quarters of them (78.5 %) having participated in ≤ 5 rounds. More than half of the community ‎members had an inadequate level of knowledge (60%) and negative attitudes (53.7%) regarding ‎MDA and lymphoedema management, with about three quarters (74.2%) doing inappropriate ‎lymphoedema management practices (74.2%). Age groups, marital status and residence were ‎significantly associated (p < 0.000) with the appropriateness of community practices for ‎lymphoedema management‎.

Conclusion: There was a low level of knowledge, poor attitude, and inappropriate practices toward ‎lymphoedema management in the Lindi district. This will have negative consequences on the ‎lymphoedema management in the Lindi district, hence, the need for further public health education ‎on LF management‎.