Knowledge attitude and practice of patients with allergic conjunctivitis towards their disease

Allergic conjunctivitis is a common ocular allergic condition. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding allergic conjunctivitis among patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Eye Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from March to June 2024. Patients completed an online self-designed questionnaire to gather demographic data and KAP scores, which were compared across demographics. Correlations among KAP scores were analyzed, and factors influencing practices were explored using multivariate logistic regression. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to validate the KAP hypothesis. A total of 482 valid questionnaires were collected, yielding a validity rate of 93.77%. Among the respondents, 329 (68.26%) were female. The mean scores were 11.48 ± 6.90 (knowledge), 29.70 ± 4.33 (attitude), and 31.09 ± 8.71 (practice). Significant positive correlations were found between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.214, P < 0.001), knowledge and practice (r = 0.352, P < 0.001), and attitude and practice (r = 0.303, P < 0.001). SEM indicated that knowledge directly influenced attitude and, in turn, influenced practice. The study highlights a knowledge gap about allergic conjunctivitis, indicating a need for targeted educational interventions to improve attitudes and practices.