Knowledge Attitude And Practices Regarding Dengue Infection Among Pre-University College Students

Abstract

Introduction:- Dengue fever is one of the major vector borne disease. There is an upsurge noted in morbidity and mortality due to dengue especially in urban areas of the country. This is due to the favourable environmental conditions for growth of the vector Aedes Aegypti. Effective control measures can be undertaken with the help of community support and increased awareness regarding transmission of Dengue infection .The role of both private and public sector health care providers in these areas is very important to increase the awareness in community and motivating the people for reducing breeding sources of the vector. There is a wide gap between knowledge, attitudes and practices among the people regarding dengue infection. Objective: - To study the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding Dengue Fever among PreUniversity college students. Methods: - A cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 college students. After obtaining verbal consent, information was collected through pre designed, pre tested and self-administered questionnaire. Results: - Majority of the students (73.9%) had good knowledge about signs, symptoms, and modes of transmission of dengue. Around 70 % considered dengue to be a serious illness and 40.52% believed that they are at risk of getting infection. Almost half (51.63%) said dengue is preventable. Very few (2.29%) did not use any effective dengue preventive methods such as spraying of insecticides and mosquito bed nets. Mass Media (66.66%) was the predominant source of information about dengue fever. Conclusion: - Our findings suggest that the students had good knowledge about dengue fever but sadly this did not translate to adoption of preventive measures. Campaigns should focus on educating and encouraging youth to adopt simple, inexpensive and preventive actions, such as, use of insecticide treated bed nets and screening of homes.