Design and Validation of a Persian Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Questionnaire for Rabies (PKAP-Rabies) in the General Population of Iran

Introduction: Rabies is a highly fatal disease. However, it is quite preventable. Community awareness about rabies is one of the key components for prevention, which should be assessed and routinely monitored by standard questionnaires. We aimed to develop and validate a Persian knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire for rabies (PKAP-Rabies) in the general population of Iran. Methods: The questionnaire was developed based on existing literature and conducting focus group discussions with experts in the field. Content, face, and construct validity were checked by gathering the opinion of ۱۰ experts in the field. Test-retest reliability was assessed by re-administrating the questionnaire to the same individuals after a ۱۵-days interval. Results: The questionnaire consisted of ۶۴ items, covering five domains including ‘demographics’ (۱۹ items), knowledge about animal and human rabies (۱۴ and ۱۰ items, respectively), attitude towards rabies prevention in animals (۶ items), and practice towards rabies prevention/control (۱۴ items). The questionnaires were mainly filled by young (mean= ۲۸.۶, SD= ۱۰.۳ years) women (۶۳.۳%) with a university-level educational background (۳۶.۷%). Most knowledge questions had a proper difficulty level (average difficulty index= ۲۰-۸۰%). Wilcoxon test also showed proper test-retest reliability for this questionnaire (PWilcoxon > ۰.۰۵). Conclusions: The PKAP-Rabies questionnaire appeared to be feasible, valid and reliable for assessing KAP towards rabies in the general population of Iran with potential application in future large-scale surveys. Information from such surveys can provide insight into adopting prevention and control measures, and would allow us to evaluate the impact of current and upcoming interventions.