94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1445576
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards biologics among Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted
Xue Xu 1
Mengru Du 1
Peng Lai 1
Zhiling Zhao 1
Linyu Geng 1 Jun Liang 1
Haifeng Chen 2*
Lingyun Sun 1- 1 Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, Nanjing, China
- 2 Department of Rheumatology and Immunology.The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, 214023, Wuxi, China
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards biologics among systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from March 2023 to January 2024. Demographic information and KAP were obtained through the distribution of self-designed questionnaires. Results: A total of 543 SLE patients participated in this study, with a mean age of 39.14±13.08 years. The mean scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice were 6.08±5.49 (possible range: 0 - 32), 33.14±4.01 (possible range: 10 - 50), and 12.06±3.95 (possible range: 6 - 30), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that knowledge score (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.019-1.144, P = 0.009), attitude score (OR = 1.476, 95% CI: 1.337-1.63, P < 0.001), average monthly income of 5000-10000 Yuan (OR = 2.129, 95% CI: 1.327-3.416, P = 0.002), and average monthly income of more than 10000 Yuan (OR = 2.245, 95% CI: 1.184-4.260, P = 0.013) were independently associated with proactive practice. Structural equation modeling revealed significant direct effects of knowledge on attitude (β = 0.586, P < 0.001) and practice (β = 0.140, P = 0.041). Additionally, attitudes were found to directly influence practice (β = 0.628, P < 0.001).Conclusion: SLE patients demonstrated inadequate knowledge, suboptimal attitudes, and passive practices regarding biologics. It is recommended that healthcare providers prioritize education and interventions aimed at enhancing knowledge, fostering positive attitudes, and promoting proactive practices regarding biologic therapies among SLE patients.
Keywords: knowledge, Attitude, Practice, systemic lupus erythematosu, biologics, Cross-sectional study
Received: 07 Jun 2024; Accepted: 25 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Du, Lai, Zhao, Geng, Liang, Chen and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Haifeng Chen, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology.The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, 214023, Wuxi, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.