Factors Associated with Prevention of Dengue Fever among the Population in Phasawoei Subdistrict, Somdet District, Kalasin Province

Abstract

     This survey research by cross-sectional study aimed to examine health literacy, dengue prevention behaviors, and factors associated with dengue prevention behaviors among residents of Pha Sawoei Subdistrict, Somdet District, Kalasin Province. The participants were 148 residents aged 15 years or older, selected through proportionate stratified random sampling across villages followed by simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire covering personal characteristics, dengue knowledge, health literacy, and dengue prevention behaviors. The health literacy and prevention behavior scales. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance was set at .05.

     The findings showed that 78.38% of participants had a good level of dengue knowledge, 72.30% had a very good level of overall health literacy, and 75.68% had a good level of dengue prevention behaviors. Personal factors significantly associated with prevention behaviors were female sex (OR=3.159; 95% CI: 1.345–7.418; p=.007), being married, widowed, or divorced (OR=2.333; 95% CI: 1.086–5.015; p=.028), and agricultural occupation (OR=2.530; 95% CI: 1.136–5.632; p=.021). Dengue knowledge was not significantly associated with prevention behaviors (p=.920). In contrast, significant health literacy factors included access to health information and services (OR=3.750; 95% CI: 1.712–8.216), communication skills (OR=5.417; 95% CI: 2.408–12.185), self-management (OR=9.986; 95% CI: 3.435–29.031), decision-making (OR=7.824; 95% CI: 3.307–18.511), and media literacy (OR=4.714; 95% CI: 2.129–10.439), with p<.001 for all dimensions.