Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to dengue among public school teachers in a Central Luzon Province in the Philippines: an analytic cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Background: Dengue has become a major health issue in tropical regions as the numbers of reported cases and estimated infections continuously increase. In the Philippines, many challenges remain in preventing and controlling the disease amidst all the mitigation efforts of the government. This study sought to measure the health literacy of Filipino teachers and determine the associations among teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and selected practices (KAP) against dengue.

Methods: Elementary and secondary school teachers from the consistently declared dengue hotspots in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines, from the years 2017 to 2019 were selected as target participants in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered online survey tool was used in this study for both screening of participants and the KAP survey proper. STATA, descriptive statistics, and multiple logistic regression were used for the data analysis. Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported.

Results: The study comprised 604 participants whose mean age was 38.4 years. Television was determined as the top media source of information, and various health staff were the most trusted and common source of information. Good knowledge on dengue treatment (OR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.18-2.78) and dengue prevention (OR = 1.85; 95% CI 1.26-2.71) were positively associated with having good practices on protection against mosquito bites. Good knowledge on dengue signs and symptoms (OR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.02-2.37) and dengue prevention (OR = 2.38; 95% CI 1.59-3.58) were positively associated with having good practices on preventing breeding sites. Those with positive perceived susceptibility to dengue had lower odds of having good practices on protection against mosquito bites (OR = 0.64; 95% CI 0.41-0.99) and of having good practices on preventing breeding sites (OR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.26-0.81).

Conclusion: Even with the existing dengue policies, programs, and strategies, and the high disease literacy rate of Filipinos, dengue remains a struggle with an increasing case rate. Therefore, specific concepts should be emphasized, and interventions should be fine-tuned to better reach and influence the target population to attain a dengue-free Philippines.