Table 4.
Individual behavior and household level practices related to sewage, rats, and garbage among residents of an urban slum community in Salvador, Brazil
| Practice regarding leptospirosis | No. (N = 257) | % |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaned an open sewer in the last month | 45 | 17.5 |
| Type of protection used | (N = 45) | |
| Gloves | 15 | 33.3 |
| Boots | 14 | 31.1 |
| Gloves and boots | 5 | 11.1 |
| Nothing | 16 | 35.5 |
| Activities to prevent rodents at home* | ||
| Use of any poison | 122 | 47.4 |
| Use of illegal poison (chumbinho) | 88 | 34.2 |
| Closure of rodent access to house | 117 | 45.5 |
| Closure of rat burrows | 66 | 25.6 |
| Use of rat traps | 62 | 24.1 |
| Nothing | 5 | 1.9 |
| Frequency of garbage elimination | (N = 239†) | |
| 7 days per week | 146 | 56.6 |
| 5–6 days per week | 23 | 8.9 |
| 3–4 days per week | 16 | 6.2 |
| 1–2 days per week | 54 | 20.9 |
*
Open-ended question; multiple responses recorded for each respondent.
†
Data not available for 18 study participants.