Knowledge, Attitude, and Prevention Practice on Dengue and Dengue Seroprevalence in a Dengue Hotspot in Sabah, East Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Dengue, a major global public health concern, is growing more prevalent. Extensive measures have been undertaken to prevent and control dengue transmission in Malaysia including understanding and modification of human behaviour. This study was designed to assist in planning an effective health intervention for dengue by measuring residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) in hotspot areas of Sabah, East Malaysia. Methods: A community-based and cross-sectional study was conducted at dengue hotspot area in Sabah involving 463 residents (aged 18 years and above). Information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the residents and their KAP towards dengue was collected using a structured pre-validated questionnaire developed by the researchers. In addition, residents were invited to participate in a dengue seroprevalence study using dengue Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) ELISA kit. Results: Most of the residents correctly identified common signs and symptoms of dengue such as fever (84.4%), chills (70.7%), and nausea or vomiting (56.0%). Nearly half of the residents (51.3%) had good knowledge, 66.0% had a positive attitude, and 63.7% had a positive practice for dengue prevention and control, respectively. The dengue seroprevalence study included 200 of the 463 residents; IgG and IgM seropositivity was 74.1% (n = 63) and 7.1% (n = 6) respectively. Based on logistic regression analysis, local and migrants differs considerably in terms of their knowledge and attitude toward dengue prevention and control, while gender and level of education were predictive of practice level (p<0.05) among all sociodemographic variables examined. Knowledge was correlated with attitude (p<0.0001) and practice (p< 0.0014). Discussion: To combat dengue epidemics in the hotspot area of Sabah, a proactive and behavioural changes among residents, are required. To effectively prevent and manage dengue transmission, a collaborative effort of government sectors, private sectors, housing residential committees, and community residents is essential.

Assessing the basic knowledge and awareness of dengue fever prevention among migrant workers in Klang Valley, Malaysia

“…Those who had completed at least high school showed high knowledge scores, similar to studies in Malaysia [ 17 , 21 , 40 ], Jamaica [ 44 ] and Thailand [ 45 ]. The more knowledgeable individuals are of DF, the more likely they are to implement preventative practices, provided that they fully understand the personal risk of contracting DF [ 19 ].…”

“…To identify preventative strategies for DF, numerous studies have evaluated the knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices in, (KAP) DF prevention [16][17][18][19][20]. However, DF KAP among migrant workers in Malaysia remains understudied despite being a sizable portion of the country's workforce and vulnerable to DF [21]. Therefore, this study examined the DF KAP among migrant workers across occupational sectors in Klang Valley, Malaysia to (i) better understand the level of and relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice, (ii) identify specific cohorts within migrant workers to target for awareness campaigns, and (iii) examine the potential of social media as a platform for raising DF awareness.…”

Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and risk factors on dengue fever among children in Brazil, Fortaleza: A cross-sectional study

“…The maximum scores of 10, 8, and 10.5 points were applied to the knowledge, attitude, and practice domain, respectively. Households’ total KAP score (maximum of 28.5 points) were categorized into groups: low (<15 points or <50% of maximum points), moderate (>15 or <22 points or between 50% to 75% of maximum score) or high (>22 points or >75% of the maximum score) [ 17 , 20 , 21 ].…”

“…High levels of KAP can empower individuals to participate in disease control and prevention programs [15]. Although there have been several studies assessing KAP and its relationship to dengue risk in different populations, little is known about the link between households' KAP, demographic and socio-economic characteristics and children's dengue seropositivity [16][17][18]. The objectives of this analysis were to estimate dengue seroprevalence in a pediatric study population and to examine the associations between households' dengue-related KAP and children's dengue seropositivity.…”