Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Inmates, Prison Staff and Soldiers regarding Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) in Mazandaran Prisons

Seyed Hassan Nikookar; Ali Jafari; Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan; Razieh Shabani-Kordshouli; Jamshid Yazdani-Charati; Nasir  Talebi-Hajikolaee; Ahmadali Enayati

doi:10.18502/jad.v17i2.13621

Seyed Hassan Nikookar Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Ali Jafari General Administration of Prisons, Sari, Iran
Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Razieh Shabani-Kordshouli Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Jamshid Yazdani-Charati Department of Biostatistics, Health Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Nasir Talebi-Hajikolaee General Administration of Prisons, Sari, Iran
Ahmadali Enayati Head of Medical Entomology Department, School of Public Health, Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jad.v17i2.13621

Keywords: Bed bug; Prison; Cimex lectularius; KAP; Iran

Abstract

Background: Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are blood-sucking insects that bite humans usually at night and cause nuisance, psychological and social problems. These insects are considered a health hazard in densely populated places such as prisons. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice of inmates, soldiers, and prison staff regarding bed bugs in Mazandaran prisons.

Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study in which 450 inmates and 210 staff (105 personnel and 105 soldiers) from prisons of Mazandaran Province were included in the study. Data on knowledge, attitude, and practice of the participants regarding bed bugs were collected using a structured questionnaire. To determine the relative content validity coefficient, the questionnaire was assessed by 10 specialists in terms of difficulty, inappropriateness, and ambiguity of the phrases. The reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's Alpha and then the data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20.

Results: The maximum mean scores of knowledges, attitude, and practice between the three target groups were 16.42%, 44.07% and 71.21% respectively. Prison staff had the highest knowledge and practice, and inmates showed the highest attitude regarding bed bugs. There was no significant difference between the knowledge and attitude of inmates, prison staff and soldiers (P> 0.05) but there was a significant difference in their practice (P< 0.05).

Conclusion: Results of this study confirmed that all three groups of people in the prisons need appropriate education regarding all aspects of bed bug including its control.