Introduction:
Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology poses a significant health burden in Uddanam, India, with a prevalence estimated to be 21%, three times higher than in other regions of India. To investigate this, the 'Study to Test and Operationalize Preventive approaches for chronic kidney disease of undetermined aetiology' was initiated in 2018. We accessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to CKD within the STOP CKDu cohort, identified demographic influences on KAP, and assessed differences in KAP among individuals with pre-existing CKD, those without CKD, and those with newly diagnosed CKD.
Methods:
We interviewed 2419 subjects recruited in the STOP-CKDu study from 40 clusters using a cluster sampling technique. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to CKD were assessed using a validated, structured questionnaire. The instrument, adapted for local use, comprised 25 items across three domains: knowledge (n=10), attitudes (n=8), and practices (n=7). Data were collected from 2419 participants via verbal administration questionnaire in Telugu. Composite scores were calculated for each domain. Descriptive statistics summarized continuous variables, while categorical variables were presented as counts and percentages.
Results:
Out of the 2,419 individuals initially enrolled in the STOP-CKDu cohort, 2,375 participants, with a near-equal gender distribution, were included in study. They included Group A (6.1% with known CKD), Group B (15.7% newly diagnosed with CKD), and Group C (78.1% without CKD). The overall mean knowledge score was 4.3 (95% CI: 3.9–4.67) for Group A, while Groups B and C had a mean score of 4.1 (95% CI: 3.7–4.5) and 4.3 (4.2 -4.4), on a scale of 10 possible points. Notably, all three groups demonstrated a limited understanding of CKD. The study found that participants across all groups had a limited interest in learning more about kidney disease, with a mean attitude score of 4.1 (4.06,4.13) out of 8 among the three groups. Despite this, participants expressed severe worries about the health, financial, and social consequences of CKD. Practice scores revealed a predominant preference for hospital-based care across all groups (>98%), with a negligible inclination towards traditional healing practices or self-treatment. Only 28.1% of participants in Group A and 32.7% in Group C expressed willingness to be contacted by a government health worker for kidney care. Conversely, only 6.2% of participants across all groups indicated a propensity for self-treatment at home.
Conclusions:
This study provides insights into the KAP related to CKD in a region with a high disease burden. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive public health interventions that address the identified knowledge gaps, promote positive attitudes, and encourage appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviours.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.