Age-Stratified Heterogeneity of Brucellosis Awareness and Knowledge Among Hospital-Attending Adults in an Endemic Turkish Province: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional KAP Study

Background: Human brucellosis is a widespread zoonotic febrile illness in livestock-rearing endemic regions, including Türkiye (pooled human seroprevalence approximately 4.5%). Age-stratified item-level knowledge profiles paired with information-source patterns are rarely reported in adult populations. We aimed to describe age-stratified brucellosis knowledge and information-source ecosystems in a hospital-attending adult sample from an endemic Turkish province. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey enrolled 397 adults in Balıkesir, Türkiye. A 17-question instrument assessed demographics, prior awareness, a 26-item composite knowledge score among aware respondents, and information sources. Item-level recognition was compared across four age strata, with multivariable logistic regression identifying independent predictors. Results: Of 397 adults (mean age 36.1 years; 62.7% male), 233 (58.7%) reported prior awareness, increasing with age (51.8% in 18–29 vs. 74.5% in ≥60 years; p < 0.001). Among aware respondents, composite knowledge declined with age (mean 8.52 vs. 5.94; p < 0.001). Raw dairy transmission and treatment availability were uniformly recognized (>80% across all strata). Recognition of clinical symptoms (fever 68.9% vs. 34.3%; p = 0.005) and veterinary signs (decreased milk yield 36.9% vs. 8.6%; p = 0.001) was substantially lower in older respondents. Internet citation declined with age (41.7% to 17.1%), while older respondents relied more on interpersonal networks. Conclusions: Brucellosis knowledge was not uniformly distributed across the adult age spectrum. Dominant transmission and treatment messages were near-universally recognized, while clinical-symptom and veterinary-sign recognition showed substantial age-related deficits, accompanied by generational divergence in information-source ecosystems. These findings suggest that age-tailored, channel-specific reinforcement of less-recognized clinical and veterinary knowledge, delivered through trusted healthcare-worker channels, may strengthen brucellosis education in endemic Turkish settings. Community-based replication is required before broader policy translation.