Strategies for Dengue Awareness of Community Health and Safety

Abstract

Introduction

The level of community awareness on dengue health and safety is commonly reciprocated to the preventive measures that the residents practice at their households and the local community. Thus, the main thrust of the study is to determine various strategies that will uplift the community level of awareness on dengue and eventually, use their learning to observe more systematic and effective means of preventing and controlling the disease.

Methods

This study used the descriptive method of research. An adapted and modified survey questionnaire was used to assess the respondents' level of awareness about the topic (knowledge on causes, symptoms, transmission, prevention, management, and attitudes toward dengue), prevention practices, and the sources of information related to dengue.

Results

From the research problem and answers to the questions posited in the survey interview the major findings can be summarized as follows: (1.) The majority of the respondents develop awareness about dengue through TV/radio. Some of them considered health workers, health centers, hospitals, neighbors, brochures, newspapers, social media and dengue patients as their sources of information related to dengue., (2.) most of the heads of the family of Barangay San Juan, San Vicente, and Sampaloc have good to excellent knowledge on dengue cause, symptoms, and transmission and prevention, management, and attitudes toward dengue.,

Discussions

(3.) The respondents already observed practices that prevent dengue. The use of insecticides is the most familiar preventive measure among the people in the community. Others rely on the use of screen windows, bed nets, mosquitocoils, fans, and professional pest control to keep their families safe from human-vector contacts. (4.) the different strategies of K.A.G.A.T sa Dengue were designed and implemented to promote dengue awareness for the community health and safety. The FGD, distribution of brochure, posting of infographics and exhibit were the strategies for the community-based information drive in the community others were conducted to clean the breeding places of the vector mosquitoes and to promote the use of mosquito repellents as alternative means of preventing dengue. The wide implementation of the activities was observed in the community, involving the school, the LGU's and the residents from the barangays.