A Comprehensive Study on Knowledge, Attitude and Preventive measures regarding Dengue Fever in Bangladesh: Quantitative Interview among University Students.

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever (DF) is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. In this decade it has expanded to new countries and from urban to rural areas. Limited awareness and nonsystematized health education programmes have contributed adversely to the increase in dengue incidence due to limited attention which has positively contributed to the increase in vector receptivity. The current study was conducted to ascertain the knowledge, attitudes and Preventive measures regarding Dengue fever among the students of various universities in Bangladesh.
 Study design: A cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess the Knowledge, Awareness and Preventive measures (KAP) among the students of various universities in Bangladesh.
 Methodology: Between August 2020 & November 2020, an epidemiological survey was conducted among 199 students of various universities throughout Bangladesh. We collected information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and their knowledge, attitude and Preventive measures regarding DF using a structured questionnaire. Majority of the questions were dichotomous (Yes/No type) and some questions were asked using five point Likert scale. We then statistically compared their knowledge, attitude and Preventive measures in regard to socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents to identify possible causes of observed differences using SPSS version 23.
 Results: Total number of students from Diploma, Undergraduate (Honor's), Postgraduate (Master's) were 199 who had given voluntary consent and participated in this study willingly. The sample comprised more males (56%) than females (44%), and almost 50% of respondents were from allied health science (Pharmacy, Microbiology, Public health, Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry etc) background. Respondents had relatively good knowledge about aspects of Dengue fever. Out of 199 individuals interviewed, 97% had heard of DF. They had good knowledge score regarding dengue symptoms but comparatively moderate knowledge score regarding dengue transmission and management. The knowledge, attitude and Preventive measures level of study respondents was found statistically significant in relation to the academic attainment of the respondents.
 Conclusion: We recommend implementing mass educational programmes throughout the country in order to raise the awareness and to translate knowledge into sound practice to control dengue disease epidemics in Bangladesh.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Relation to Mosquito-Borne Diseases in Bangladesh

“…Only half of the respondents were familiar with filariasis (53%), while malaria (85%) and chikungunya (81%) were relatively well-known. These findings can be compared with another study conducted by Saha et al [ 31 ], where it was found that 89% of respondents were aware of malaria, while a recent study by Farzana et al [ 32 ] reported that 97% of the population was familiar with dengue fever, supporting our data. The data can also be compared with similar studies conducted in Nepal [ 33 ], India [ 34 ], and Jamaica [ 35 ].…”

“…However, a considerable number of participants did not know most of these common symptoms. This result can be compared with another similar study about dengue fever among university students in Bangladesh, where the accuracy of knowledge among respondents was much higher than in the current study (joint pains (92.5%), muscle pain (82.4%), and pain behind the eyes (70%)) [32]. However, this fact can be linked to the educational background of the respondents, as only 43.6% of respondents from the present study had an education of undergraduate level or above compared to the aforementioned study conducted on the university students.…”

“…However, this fact can be linked to the educational background of the respondents, as only 43.6% of respondents from the present study had an education of undergraduate level or above compared to the aforementioned study conducted on the university students. That study claimed a statistically significant relation between the KAP level of respondents and their academic attainment [ 32 ]. In the case of filariasis, major symptoms, along with fever, known to respondents were elephantiasis of different organs (66%), axillary lymphadenopathy (93%), and skin exfoliation (25%).…”

A retrospective study on the socio-demographic factors and clinical parameters of dengue disease and their effects on the clinical course and recovery of the patients in a tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh

“…Over the last two decades, the incidence of this fastest-spreading infectious disease has increased more than eight-fold, owing to increased regional expansion into new countries and more recently, from urban to rural settings [ 5 – 7 ]. South-East Asian countries are estimated with about 75% of the total disease cases and economic burden caused by dengue fever worldwide [ 8 ].…”

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Dengue Fever among University Students of Dhaka City, Bangladesh

“…Another study examined KAP among university students and found a statistically significant relationship between climatic change awareness and the DF KAP level in Bangladesh [ 8 ]. One study also conducted KAP survey regarding DF among university students of Bangladesh [ 12 ]. However, lack of study was found regarding DF among university students of Dhaka city, where the country’s worst DF cases were found.…”