Behaviors and Perceptions Related to Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Endemic Areas of the World: A Review

•Two positive and negative categories of perceptions and behaviors were discovered. Positive perceptions and behaviors; 1- good awareness 2- perceived susceptibility, 3- perceived severity 4- perceived response efficiency 5- appropriate behaviors. Negative perceptions and behaviors: 1- poor awareness, 2- misconceptions, 3- perceived barriers, 4- misbehaviors (A. negligence B. local and traditional behavioral patterns).•The concepts obtained could be compatible with the Extended Parallel Process Model. According to this model, it is necessary to pay attention to the perceived susceptibility, perceived severity and perceived response efficiency in people. The investigation of perceptions and behaviors associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in different societies has indicated that mere attention to biological and medical aspects is not enough to prevent and control diseases and it is necessary to know the disease-associated behaviors and beliefs. The present study aimed to answer a question: what are the behaviors and perceptions associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis in endemic regions of the world?. This study is a review of the articles published on CL from January 2010 to January 2021, on the International databases Science Direct, Scopus and PubMed. We utilized the terms cutaneous leishmaniasis, in combination with some keywords, including belief, perceptions, knowledge, attitude, practices, prevention, and behavior. Non-original studies, including editorials, reviews, prefaces, brief communications, and letters to the editor, CL epidemiological articles, pre-published articles that has not been peer reviewed, and articles that not provide complete findings on CL-related perceptions and behaviors were excluded from the present paper. After screening, 25 articles from 17 regions of the world were included in the study. The results depicted a novel classification of behaviors and perceptions related to CL prevention and control. Two positive and negative categories of perceptions and behaviors were discovered. Positive perceptions and behaviors were classified into five categories, including: 1- good awareness, 2- perceived susceptibility, 3- perceived severity, 4- perceived response efficiency, and 5- appropriate behaviors. Furthermore, negative perceptions and behaviors were classified into four categories: 1- poor awareness 2- misconceptions (A. About the disease vector B.about the cause of the disease, C. about the consequences of the disease a