Household-Based Survey on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Dengue Infection and Prevention in a Semi-Urban Area (Ja-Ela MOH Area) (original) (raw)

Introduction: Dengue is the most prevalent infectious mosquito-borne viral infection in the world. Over time dengue has caused high mortality and morbidity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice among 510 residents of Ja-Ela MOH area using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Ethical clearance was obtained from the National Institute of Health Science Kalutara. Results: The majority (50.8%) of the respondents were females, and the mean age of the sample was 43.7±16.7 years. The study results showed that 56.5% (n = 288), 52.9% (n = 270), and 50.7% (n = 257) of the sample had good knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards dengue prevention, respectively. Good knowledge is significantly associated with 41-60 years of age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.513, P < 0.001), secondary education or higher (OR = 1.857, P = 0.008), and a monthly income of LKR 20 000-40 000 and more than 40 000 (OR = 0.477, P = 0.016; OR = 0.440, P = 0.015). Non-Sinhalese nationality (OR = 0.180, P = 0.033) was associated with poor levels of knowledge. Good attitudes towards the prevention of dengue were found in males (OR = 2.095, P = 0.001), unemployed individuals (OR = 1.759, P = 0.018), and individuals with a monthly income of < LKR 20000 (OR = 2.393, P = 0.001). Poor practices towards dengue prevention were found in other nationalities compared to Sinhalese (OR = 0.104, P = 0.001) while Roman Catholics had poor practices towards dengue prevention (OR = 0.677, P = 0.041). The study shows that the experience of dengue is positively associated with better attitudes towards dengue prevention (Mann-Whitney U test; P < 0.001). Conclusion: KAPs were not significantly correlated with each other. Targeted health education and promotion programmes provided for specific populations should be considered a priority activity.