Knowledge and Attitudes about Ebola Virus Disease among Community Residents in Winchester, Virginia, US

Background: Educating individuals in the community is an important step in helping to improve response to disease outbreaks. This education can help reduce the spread of misinformation during an outbreak. Unfortunately, there is little information in the literature on what factors play a role in the education of individuals in the community. Methods: This cross-sectional study was designed to identify factors that could contribute to the overall knowledge of community members residing in Winchester, Virginia, US. A survey was provided to members of the community and 375 individuals completed the survey. Knowledge and attitudes regarding Ebola were tested on the survey. A score of 4 represented good knowledge of the Ebola Virus. Logistic regression was used to determine factors that could play a role in community education of Ebola. Results: The results of this study showed that higher age (OR=2.77, p<0.05) and education level (OR=6.62, p<0.01) were associated with more knowledge regarding the Ebola virus. Additionally, only 11% of community patients met the study’s classification of having good knowledge of the Ebola Virus. A majority of our participants strongly agreed that Ebola is a serious condition and communities should actively participate in controlling the risk of Ebola. Most individuals received their information on Ebola from the internet. Conclusion: The recognition of important factors can help identify patient populations that would benefit the most from enhanced education measures. The low number of patients with a good knowledge of the Ebola virus also presents additional challenges to help better educate and engage the community at large.