Public perceptions and behaviours related to the risk of infection with Aedes mosquito-borne diseases: a cross-sectional study in Southeastern France

Abstract

ObjectivesTo explore public perceptions and behaviours related to the risk of flavivirus and alphavirus infection in Southeastern regions of France following the recent colonisation of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and the identification of four autochthonous cases of dengue and chikungunya fever in these regions.DesignCross-sectional telephone survey using a proportional random digit dialling selection method.SettingInterviews were conducted from 28 November 2011 to 29 January 2012 using a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system.Participants1506 French speaking adults aged 18 years or older residing in French Mediterranean regions.ResultsProtective health behaviours were found to be performed less frequently among men (AOR=0.65, 95% CI 0.52% to 0.80%), residents with lower educational status (AOR=0.61, 95% CI 0.43% to 0.85% for respondents with primary school education; AOR=0.69, 95% CI 0.53% to 0.90% for those with some secondary school education), and those living in regions where the Aedes mosquito is objectively rare (AOR=0.60, 95% CI 0.36% to 0.98% for Aude; AOR=0.63, 95% CI 0.44% to 0.89% for Herault; AOR=0.56, 95% CI 0.34% to 0.93% for Eastern Pyrenees). Empirical results also suggest that behavioural responses to infection risk are greater shaped by the perceived exposure to Aedes, notably the perceived frequency of mosquito bites (AOR=2.07, 95% CI 1.84% to 2.32%) and visual identification of Aedes mosquitoes in one's immediate environment (AOR=1.98, 95% CI 1.45% to 2.71%) rather than by other common predictors of protective behaviours.ConclusionsThese findings may help with the development of innovative instruments designed to make more visible and personal the threat of flavivirus and alphavirus infections induced by the presence of A albopictus in order to promote significant behavioural changes among populations at risk.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Vector-Borne Disease Prevention during the Emergence of a New Arbovirus: Implications for the Control of Chikungunya Virus in French Guiana

“…These factors should be further reviewed and considered in the development and implementation of future large-scale mosquito-borne disease prevention programs. In previously conducted infectious disease studies, these social and cognitive factors have consistently been found to influence the engagement in health protective behaviors [35,42,43]. However, in our study, only a few cognitive factors were associated with the protective health behaviors recommended by the public health authorities at the early stage of the epidemic.…”

“…This result is somewhat unexpected since the perceived exposure to vectors (seeing bugs, being bitten) has been repeatedly found as one of the most important triggers for taking health protective actions [35,36]. This cannot be explained by an important perceived lack of behavioral control because this variable was not found to be associated with the adoption of preventive measures against mosquitoes.…”

The Description of Larva Free Index as COMBI (Communication for Behavioral Impact) Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Prevention Indicator

“…The presence of containers plays an important role in the density of Aedes larvae, as the more containers present will make more crowded mosquito density and will become more populous of Aedes mosquitoes (Raude, 2012). The more densely populated the Aedes mosquitoes, the higher the risk of dengue virus infection with faster spreading time therefore resulting in the number of cases of dengue fever to rapidly increase which eventually resulted in the outbreak of dengue disease (Sitio, 2008).…”

Low to medium-low risk perception for dengue, chikungunya and Zika outbreaks by infectious diseases physicians in France, Western Europe

“…This is the first study on the perception of the present and future risk of vector-borne diseases (i.e., dengue, [33][34][35][36], H1N1pdm flu [37][38][39] and H5N1 avian flu [40][41][42]; others have focused on general practitioners in France [43][44][45], both general population and practitioners [46], French pharmacists [47] or risk perception in Europe and other countries worldwide [48][49][50]. The appearance of various emerging infectious diseases during the last two decades (e.g., chikungunya, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Ebola virus, Zika), as well as that of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, has stimulated research on risk perception in the general public and policy-makers [51][52][53][54][55].…”

“…Moreover, the French medical and research communities have rapidly developed interdisciplinary programs to better understand and fight these new diseases, for instance the Research and ACTion targeting emerging infectious diseases (REACTing) [25]. From 2009 to 2016, the general French population's awareness of these arboviral risks has strongly changed; from a low awareness among the population [26], citizen views of potential risks has increased during this period with some heterogeneities observed depending on the region and mosquitoe settlement [27]. Meanwhile, French national health authorities have continuously pursued information campaigns on the potential risks of transmission of these three arboviral infections.…”