Infectious disease-related knowledge, behavior and skill among adult residents in suburbs of Beijing

Objective To examine the status of infectious disease-related knowledge,behavior and skill among adult residents in the suburbs of Beijing,and to provide reference for infectious disease prevention.Methods Totally 5 506 residents aged 18 to 59 years were recruited by using multi-stage systematic sampling.The information on knowledge,behavior and skill about infectious diseases among the adults were collected with a self-designed questionnaire.Results The awareness rates for "vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent influenza","the definition of fever","the transmission route of hepatitis B,hepatitis A and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)" were 51.4% (2 684/5 221),43.5% (2 294/5 276),22.8% (1 212/5 307),37.7% (1 999/5 307),and 34.0% (1 802/5 299),respectively.The ratios of the adults reporting behavios of using face mask when visiting doctor in fever clinics,having influenza vaccination in 2010,picking up raw meat with special chopsticks,paying attention to sanitation of restaurant,and not sharing a towel with others were 22.0% (1 165/5 304),11.9%(631/5 281),49.5% (2 522/5 096),53.8% (2 848/5 291),and 58.2% (3 085/5 297).The proportions of the adults with the skills of acquiring knowledge of infectious diseases in time and reading simple results of laboratory test were 55.5% (2 940/5 297) and 36.9% (1 957/5 301).Conclusion The findings suggest that adults in the suburbs of Beijing are lack of infectious disease-related knowledge,behavior and skill,especially for the adults with low-education,and health education needs to be promoted in the adults living in suburb areas.