{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T06:05:35Z","timestamp":1790057135727,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790035200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Leprosy and other skin neglected tropical diseases, including Buruli ulcer and yaws, remain significant public health challenges in Ghana. Despite control efforts, these conditions continue to cause disability, stigma, and social exclusion, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Misconceptions rooted in cultural and spiritual beliefs further delay care-seeking and reinforce discrimination.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study assessed community awareness, symptom recognition, and perceived causes of leprosy and other skin NTDs across four regions of Ghana, and examined how these varied by socio-demographic characteristics, to inform culturally appropriate interventions for early detection and stigma reduction.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      An analytical cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,067 adults in Greater Accra, Eastern, Bono, and Savannah Regions of Ghana. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered via Kobo Collect. Descriptive statistics summarized socio-demographic characteristics and outcome variables, including awareness, symptom recognition, and perceived causes of skin neglected tropical diseases. Associations between these outcomes and socio-demographic factors were assessed using chi-square tests, with statistical significance set at\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f\u2264\u202f0.05.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Overall awareness of skin NTDs was high (75.6%) and was significantly associated with respondents\u2019 educational level (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03c7<\/jats:italic>\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u202f=\u202f38.081,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001) and region of residence (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03c7<\/jats:italic>\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u202f=\u202f42.661,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). Respondents with higher educational attainment and those from the Bono Region showed higher levels of awareness, whereas awareness was lowest among respondents from the Eastern Region. Symptom recognition was also assessed, with wounds (32.6%) and skin lesions (21.7%) being the most commonly identified manifestations. Perceived causes reflected a combination of biomedical and sociocultural explanations; bacterial infection and genetic factors were the most frequently reported causes, although supernatural beliefs remained prevalent, particularly among respondents with lower educational attainment.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study shows that community awareness, symptom recognition, and perceived causes of skin NTDs in Ghana differ across socio-demographic and regional contexts. Interventions should prioritize communities and population groups with lower awareness, strengthen education on early skin NTD symptoms and their biomedical causes, and engage local leaders to address misconceptions and stigma, thereby improving early detection and timely healthcare-seeking.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1904661","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T05:40:41Z","timestamp":1790055641000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Community awareness, symptom recognition, and perceived causes of skin neglected tropical diseases in selected regions of Ghana"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Eric","family":"Koka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Selorm","family":"Adinkra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abigail","family":"Abban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Antwi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, University of Ghana","place":["Accra, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hannah Benedicta","family":"Taylor-Abdulai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Quao","family":"Benedict Okoe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ankaful Leprosy\/General Hospital, Ghana Health Service","place":["Cape Coast, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Ending the Neglect to Attain the Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Strategy on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to Combat Neglected tropical Diseases, 2021\u20132030","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0012093","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012093","article-title":"Stigma experiences, effects and coping among individuals affected by Buruli ulcer and yaws in Ghana","volume":"18","author":"Tuwor","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop 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