Abstract
Introduction
Dengue fever is a significant public health concern in tropical and subtropical regions. According to the WHO, approximately 1.8 billion people in Southeast Asia are at risk of dengue infection, including those in Cambodia. Appropriate strategies for dengue prevention and control at the rural community level are lacking. Understanding rural communities’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) toward dengue prevention is crucial or effective program intervention. We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding dengue fever prevention and the factors associated with it among the residents of the Domrey Slap Commune, Kampong Svay District, Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia.
Methods
This study was based on existing data from a rapid survey conducted by students from the School of Public Health (NIPH) in August 2020. The study used multistage cluster sampling to select 117 eligible participants randomly from the six selected villages in the Domrey Slap Commune. Data were collected via structured questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to dengue prevention. We used Stata V 14.2 for analysis. KAP scores were calculated. The KAP status was subsequently compared across different sociodemographic groups using the chi-square test, with the significance level set at 0.05.
Results
Men accounted for 75.2% of the household participants. Approximately 88.1% had completed primary education or less. A total of 94.0% of the participants were aware of dengue fever. The proportion of participants with high knowledge about dengue fever was 26.5%. However, 51.3% of the participants had positive attitudes toward preventive measures, and 44.6% had good practices for preventing dengue fever. Education level was significantly associated with high levels of knowledge (P = 0.008) and good practices (P = 0.022). The participants aged 35-49 years (38.5%) had significantly greater knowledge of dengue prevention than did those aged ≤ 34 years (29.0%) and ≥ 50 years (12.5%), with P = 0.030. Women exhibited significantly more positive attitudes toward dengue prevention than men did (75.9% vs. 42.1%, P = 0.020).
Conclusion
Nearly all participants were aware of dengue fever; however, knowledge about its transmission and prevention has remained low, indicating a need for targeted health education campaigns. Positive attitudes toward dengue prevention were moderately high, but preventive practices were less than half, particularly among males and those with lower education levels. Gender differences in both knowledge and attitudes were evident, with females showing greater awareness and more positive attitudes. This study underscores the importance of focusing on community health education, especially for less informed groups, and integrating gender- and community-based approaches into public health campaigns to improve KAP levels and promote effective dengue prevention and control measures.