Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding environmental health in a farming community in Havana

Abstract

Introduction: Farming communities play a fundamental role in the production of food demanded by the population, making it necessary to achieve healthy environments and sustainable agriculture that contribute to a better quality of life.

Objective: To identify knowledge, attitudes, and practices on issues related to environmental health in a farming community.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a credit and service cooperative. A questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes, and practices on issues related to environmental health was designed and administered to one member over 18 years of age in selected households. Summary measures were defined as absolute numbers and percentages.

Results: The level of knowledge people presented regarding waterborne diseases showed that 19.0% had a high level of knowledge and only 12.5% ​​boiled their water properly. Regarding the community's garbage collection service, it was classified as poor to fair. When asked about vector-borne diseases, only 18.8% showed a high level of knowledge. The designed instrument was tested and adjusted after its implementation, resulting in its final version.

Conclusions: In the community studied, it was found necessary to plan educational activities that promote behavioral changes and, in turn, positively impact people's health, thereby increasing their level of knowledge and improving practices in certain activities related to environmental health.