ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Regarding
Lead Poisoning Among Pharmacists in Jordan
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1
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan,
P.O. Box 130, Amman 11733, Jordan
2
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Jerash University, Jerash, Jordan
Submission date: 2023-09-05
Final revision date: 2023-10-19
Acceptance date: 2023-11-11
Online publication date: 2024-02-06
Publication date: 2024-03-18
Corresponding author
Samah Ata
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, 11733, Amman, Jordan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2024;33(3):2553-2560
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ABSTRACT
Lead is considered an environmental health hazard, as exposure to small amounts of lead can cause
serious health issues. Great efforts are being made globally to raise awareness about lead poisoning and
its prevention among health care professionals and communities. The level of knowledge of health care
professionals about preventing lead poisoning remains unknown in developing countries. Pharmacists
play an important role in increasing awareness due to their direct contact with the community. Therefore,
the aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes towards lead poisoning among
pharmacists in Jordan. A questionnaire regarding the knowledge and attitudes towards lead poisoning
was conducted among pharmacy students and pharmacy graduates at Al-Zaytoonah University of
Jordan. The mean score of the participants in the factual knowledge test, the Chicago Lead Knowledge
Test (CLKT), was 10.9 out of 24, which revealed inadequate knowledge concerning lead poisoning.
High percentage of the respondents (72.2%) believed lead poisoning to be a major concern, and 64.6%
of the respondents showed interest in the topic of lead poisoning. The findings of this study highlight
the need for increasing the knowledge of Jordanian pharmacists regarding the sources of lead poisoning
and its prevention. Increasing awareness of pharmacists would enable them to educate the community
on ways to recognize and prevent lead poisoning.