Dengue Awareness and Practices among Families Residing in Urban Slums in a City in Eastern India: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
- 1. Associate Professor, Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital, Puri
- 2. Assistant Professor, Shri Jagannath Medical College and Hospital, Puri
Description
Background: Dengue fever is more prevalent in urban slums due to the mosquitogenic condition prevalent there. Neither there is any vaccine nor any specific treatment for dengue. So the mainstay of dengue control is adequate knowledge and good practices in its control. The study aimed at finding the level of knowledge and practices on dengue control by household in an urban slum area. Materials & Methods: This community based cross sectional study was done in the city of Puri in the Eastern coast of India. A total of 10 slums were selected and from each slum 45 houses were picked. A pre-designed questionnaire was used for data collection on knowledge and practices for dengue control & prevention. The data was analyzed using EPI Info 7.2 software. Results: We found that about one-third (35.5%) of the participants had adequate knowledge regarding dengue. All families were practicing some form of mosquito control measures. But only 29% of the household were found to have good practices for dengue prevention and control. Adequate knowledge and good practices were found to be significantly associated with higher education and high socio-economic status. Conclusion: The current study found that adequate knowledge and good practices were found in only 35.5% and 29% of the participants. There is a need to target health education and awareness program among the slum dwellers to improve activities for dengue prevention and control.
Abstract (English)
Background: Dengue fever is more prevalent in urban slums due to the mosquitogenic condition prevalent there. Neither there is any vaccine nor any specific treatment for dengue. So the mainstay of dengue control is adequate knowledge and good practices in its control. The study aimed at finding the level of knowledge and practices on dengue control by household in an urban slum area. Materials & Methods: This community based cross sectional study was done in the city of Puri in the Eastern coast of India. A total of 10 slums were selected and from each slum 45 houses were picked. A pre-designed questionnaire was used for data collection on knowledge and practices for dengue control & prevention. The data was analyzed using EPI Info 7.2 software. Results: We found that about one-third (35.5%) of the participants had adequate knowledge regarding dengue. All families were practicing some form of mosquito control measures. But only 29% of the household were found to have good practices for dengue prevention and control. Adequate knowledge and good practices were found to be significantly associated with higher education and high socio-economic status. Conclusion: The current study found that adequate knowledge and good practices were found in only 35.5% and 29% of the participants. There is a need to target health education and awareness program among the slum dwellers to improve activities for dengue prevention and control.
Files
IJPCR,Vol16,Issue1,Article98.pdf
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Additional details
Dates
- Accepted
-
2023-12-26
Software
- Repository URL
- https://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJPCR/16/IJPCR,Vol16,Issue1,Article98.pdf
- Development Status
- Active
References
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