Knowledge and preventive practices of dengue fever among people attending tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread and has frequent epidemic occurrences in many countries, including Nepal. Assessing people’s knowledge and preventive practices of dengue helps to prevent mosquito-related diseases. This study aimed to find out the dengue knowledge and preventive practices of the people attending a Tertiary care hospital.

Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Bharatpur Hospital, Chitwan, from February to July 2023. Convenience sampling technique was used among the people who met the inclusion criteria. Ethical approval was obtained. The data were analyzed for knowledge and preventive practices, and association with socio-demographics. The SPSS version 20 was used for descriptive as well as inferential statistics. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Result: Among 384 participants, 216(56.3%) and 270(70.30%) of participants had a good level of knowledge and preventive practice, respectively. In the logistic regression model with an AOR of 95% CI, participants’ age group of 30-49 years (2.698; 1.365–5.334), and ≥50 years (6.139; 2.240–16.825), household working (8.054; 2.993-21.676), agriculture (11.300; 3.542–36.050), and primary education level (6.330; 2.083–19.238) were significantly associated with knowledge of dengue fever.

Conclusion: Overall, knowledge and preventative practices about dengue fever were found to be good. There is a lack of knowledge in specific age groups, levels of education, and type of occupation. Awareness initiatives may help improve the knowledge and practices of the public regarding dengue fever.