Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception regarding Dengue Prevention and Control in Puducherry – A Community-based Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Context: Dengue is one of the most dreadful viral diseases of humans, with over half of the world’s population living in the areas of risk. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, awareness, and practice of preventive measures regarding dengue fever among people living in Puducherry. Settings and Design: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among the individuals residing in Puducherry in the field practice areas of our tertiary care hospital. Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted for a period of 3 months from August to October 2023. The study population included residents of Puducherry in the field practice area of our tertiary care hospital based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A simple random sampling method was used with an estimated sample size of 285. Statistical Analysis Used: Continuous variables were presented in the form of frequency and proportion. Chi-square test was used for determining the association. Results: Out of 285 participants, 252 had good knowledge, and 33 had poor knowledge. 94.4% had good attitude and 5.6% had poor attitude. 62.1% (177) had good perception and 108 (37.9) had poor perception. The study showed a significant association between age and knowledge (P = 0.003) regarding dengue awareness. Socioeconomic status of the participants had a significant association with the attitude (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Appropriate use of information education and communication by involving mass media and social network and inclusion of environmental sanitation to the primary school curriculum can go a long way in creating awareness and decreasing the dengue burden in the community.

Keywords

• awareness
• community
• dengue