Abstract
BackgroundThis study evaluates the extent of village doctors’ knowledge of lead poisoning in children in rural China and assesses the characteristics associated with possessing accurate knowledge.MethodsA cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of 297 village doctors in Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, China was conducted. All village doctors were interviewed face-to-face using a “What do you know” test questionnaire focusing on prevention strategies and lead sources in rural children.ResultsA total of 287 (96.6%) village doctors completed the survey in full. Most village doctors had an appropriate degree of general knowledge of lead poisoning; however, they had relatively poor knowledge of lead sources and prevention measures. Village doctors with an undergraduate level education scored an average of 2.7 points higher than those who had a junior college level education (p = 0.033). Village doctors with an annual income ≤ 10,000 RMB yuan scored 1.03 points lower than those whose income was >10,001 RMB yuan. Ethnic Han village doctors scored 1.12 points higher, on average, than ethnic Tujia village doctors (p = 0.027).ConclusionsThis study identified important gaps in knowledge concerning lead poisoning in children among a rural population of village doctors. There is a clear need for multifaceted interventions that target village doctors to improve their knowledge regarding lead poisoning in children. The “What do you know” questionnaire is a new tool to evaluate lead poisoning knowledge and education projects.
Highlights
This study evaluates the extent of village doctors’ knowledge of lead poisoning in children in rural China and assesses the characteristics associated with possessing accurate knowledge
The interview contents included do you think it was necessary to educate village doctors about lead poisoning? Do you know some damages about lead exposure for children? Do you know how to block the exposure routes for children? Based on the previous work, we preliminarily developed relative nearly 20 items and Yale-China Chia fellows, Yale University professors and doctors, Xiangya School of Public Health professors, and the Fenghuang local village doctoral candidate co-improved the questionnaire
Village doctors with an undergraduate level education scored an average of 2.7 points higher than those with a junior college level education (p = 0.033)
Summary
This study evaluates the extent of village doctors’ knowledge of lead poisoning in children in rural China and assesses the characteristics associated with possessing accurate knowledge. Lead is a heavy metal that is widely distributed throμghout the environment [1]. Children are vulnerable to lead poisoning because their bodies are in an ongoing state of growth and development [2,3,4,5]. Most experts believe that there is no safe blood lead level (BLL) in children [6]. Even very low levels of lead exposure can affect nearly every system in children’s bodies [7, 8]. Millions of children are exposed to lead with a significant risk of damage to the brain and nervous system, resulting in impaired growth and learning/behavior problems including diminished IQ, hearing and speech problems, and criminal behavior [9, 10].
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