Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Related toTaenia soliumTaeniasis and Cysticercosis in Pig Farming Communities of Punjab

Introduction Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniasis is a neglected tropical disease endemic in developing countries, particularly with poor socio-economic conditions.

Data collected occurred over 18 months with the help of structured questionnaire in five districts of Punjab, particularly in pig farming communities. Seven hundred nineteen (719) subjects were involved in statistical analysis.

Only 2.80% of the pig farmers had good overall knowledge regarding T. solium cysticercosis and taeniasis. Majority of the respondents had better knowledge regarding taeniasis (83%) than T. solium cysticercosis (5%). On univariable logistic regression, occupation of the individual (p value=0.054), followed pig management system (p value=0.010) by the community member were found to significantly associated with good knowledge score.

The study highlights a critical gap in knowledge regarding taenia solium infection (taeniasis and cysticercosis) in pig farming community of Punjab. There is an urgent need to address the lack of information by conducting educational programme with a community centered approach targeted the most affected groups and closing the gaps of knowledge for T. solium infection. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement The study did not receive any external funding Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The ethical clearance to conduct the study was sort from Institutional ethics committee of Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, Punjab for the period of study (July 2019 till December 2021, IEC Ref No. 2020-553). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors