Possible relationship among socio-economic determinants, knowledge and practices on lymphatic filariasis and implication for disease elimination in India.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the socio-economic determinants, knowledge and practices on lymphatic filariasis in India and discuss the implications for elimination.
METHODS: A case-control study was undertaken to obtain knowledge and practice measures on various dimensions of the Wuchereria bancroftian filarial disease using a structured questionnaire. A structural equation model, a statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relationships using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assumptions, was developed.
RESULTS: Among the affected individuals, the model was able to explain more than 90% of the variance in awareness about the lymphatic filariasis, 58% of the variance in prevention aspects of the disease and 24% of the variance in people's knowledge about mosquitoes. The corresponding values in non-infected individuals were 49, 24 and 34%, respectively. A significant positive effect of education on awareness and prevention aspects of the disease was noted among the non-infected individuals. However, among the affected individuals, the awareness on various aspects of the disease was completely absent.
CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis highlights the crucial role played by formal education on creating awareness about lymphatic filariasis and how to prevent this vector-borne disease. The importance of education on intervention measures against mosquito breeding and biting is also dealt with in the analysis for planning an effective and sustainable control program.