The Relationship Between Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior and Symptoms of Scabies at the At-Taqwa Orphanage in Kalumata, Ternate City

Abstract

Scabies is a skin disease caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis mite, with approximately 300 million cases reported annually worldwide. According to data from the Ternate City Health Office, the Kalumata Health Centre recorded 311 cases in 2023. The At-Taqwa Kalumata Orphanage in Ternate City represents a high-risk setting for scabies, which serves as the basis for this study. Knowledge, attitude, and behaviour are important factors in preventing scabies. This study aims to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and behaviour and the occurrence of scabies symptoms among residents of the At-Taqwa Kalumata Orphanage in Ternate City. A cross-sectional analytic design was used, employing univariate and bivariate analyses, specifically the chi-square test. A total of 42 samples were obtained using a total sampling technique, and data were collected through interviews using a questionnaire. Of the 42 samples, knowledge was found to be in the poor category (42.9%), attitude in the poor category (40.5%), and behaviour in the sufficient and poor categories equally (38.1%). The majority of respondents were aged 11–14 years (42.9%), female (69.0%), and had completed junior high school as their highest level of education (47.6%). Bivariate analysis yielded a p-value of 0.038 for knowledge, 0.017 for attitude, and 0.012 for behaviour. These results indicate that there is a significant relationship between knowledge, attitude, and behaviour and the occurrence of scabies symptoms among residents of the At-Taqwa Kalumata Orphanage in Ternate City.