Sultana Habibullah, Junaid Ashraf.
Perceptions and practices for the control of dengue fever in Karachi - a school based survey.
Pak J Med Res Jan ;52(4):102-5.

Objectives: To determine the perceptions and practices for the control of Dengue fever in secondary school children of Saddar town Karachi. Study type and duration: Cross-sectional survey based on cluster sampling done over 6 months. Subjects and Methods: Data was collected from 1320 secondary school children of both gender belonging to public and private schools (total 14) of Saddar town, Karachi. A structured self administered questionnaire was used which included variables like age, gender, class pass, knowledge of dengue fever, its control and preventive methods used at their homes. Data was analyzed on SPSS version 15 and chi square was applied for statistical significance. Results: Data was analyzed for 1270 students as others had incomplete information. Participation was 650(51%) from public and 620(49%) from private schools. Majority 517(41%) of the students were 15-16 years old (mean 14.5 STD±1.6) with male to female ratio of 1.1:1. About 890(70%) students had knowledge about dengue fever and its control methods mostly received from television (82%). Though 72% knew that mosquito is the causative agent but only 13% were aware of its biting habits. Almost 66% students believed that dengue infection could be controlled and 33% thought that mosquito elimination is a good method to the control disease. Majority (90%) students stated that they keep water utensils covered at their homes. Overall 59% students had good knowledge about dengue fever and its control methods but only 21% were practicing it. Conclusion: School students had sufficient knowledge about dengue fever and its control but this knowledge did not change their behavior was not translated into practice. Policy message: Educational programmes should focus on translating knowledge into practice.

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