Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices
Introduction. Limited awareness and nonsystematized health education programmes have contributed adversely to the increase in dengue incidence at schools due to limited attention which has positively contributed to the increase in vector receptivity. The current study was conducted to evaluate the e...
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doaj-7c87ecbd9a6c4ffa8761b299f7cb198a2020-11-25T02:07:50ZengHindawi LimitedBioMed Research International2314-61332314-61412019-01-01201910.1155/2019/30920733092073Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and PracticesN. M. L. Radhika0Nayana Gunathilaka1Lahiru Udayanga2Anuradhani Kasturiratne3Wimaladharma Abeyewickreme4Central Environmental Authority, Battaramulla, Sri LankaDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri LankaDepartment of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Plantation Management, Wayamba University, Makandura, Sri LankaDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri LankaDepartment of Paraclinical Sciences, Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri LankaIntroduction. Limited awareness and nonsystematized health education programmes have contributed adversely to the increase in dengue incidence at schools due to limited attention which has positively contributed to the increase in vector receptivity. The current study was conducted to evaluate the existing level of awareness of dengue infection among a selected group of school children and to assess the effectiveness of dengue awareness programmes to improve the existing knowledge and preventive practices on dengue. Methods. A cohort of 2,194 students (13–15 years old) from 10 schools at Kelaniya educational zone, Gampaha District, Western Province of Sri Lanka, was enrolled for the current study, which was conducted during 2015-2016. A self-administered questionnaire, comprising 20 questions, was used to evaluate the present knowledge of the students on various aspects of dengue. A structured awareness programme (2 hours) was conducted for students, followed by a reassessment. General Linear Model (GLM) and chi-square test of independence were used to investigate the variations in knowledge levels. Results. The majority of students were characterized by “Good” (46.31%, n= 1016) and “Moderate” (42.62%, n= 935) awareness, while only 2.92% (n= 64) of students fell into the “Excellent” (>80%) category prior to the awareness programme. Even though, existing knowledge of students about dengue ranged between “Moderate” and “Good” categories, awareness of “symptoms & patient care” and “control & prevention practices” were limited. After the programme, the awareness level reached the “Excellent” (41.84%, n=918) level indicating a significant increase by 38.92%, according to the chi-square test (p<0.05 at 95% level of confidence). Conclusion. We recommend implementing school-based educational programmes in order to raise the awareness and to translate knowledge into sound practice to control dengue disease epidemics in these areas.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/3092073 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
N. M. L. Radhika Nayana Gunathilaka Lahiru Udayanga Anuradhani Kasturiratne Wimaladharma Abeyewickreme |
spellingShingle |
N. M. L. Radhika Nayana Gunathilaka Lahiru Udayanga Anuradhani Kasturiratne Wimaladharma Abeyewickreme Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices BioMed Research International |
author_facet |
N. M. L. Radhika Nayana Gunathilaka Lahiru Udayanga Anuradhani Kasturiratne Wimaladharma Abeyewickreme |
author_sort |
N. M. L. Radhika |
title |
Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices |
title_short |
Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices |
title_full |
Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices |
title_fullStr |
Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices |
title_full_unstemmed |
Level of Awareness of Dengue Disease among School Children in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka, and Effect of School-Based Health Education Programmes on Improving Knowledge and Practices |
title_sort |
level of awareness of dengue disease among school children in gampaha district, sri lanka, and effect of school-based health education programmes on improving knowledge and practices |
publisher |
Hindawi Limited |
series |
BioMed Research International |
issn |
2314-6133 2314-6141 |
publishDate |
2019-01-01 |
description |
Introduction. Limited awareness and nonsystematized health education programmes have contributed adversely to the increase in dengue incidence at schools due to limited attention which has positively contributed to the increase in vector receptivity. The current study was conducted to evaluate the existing level of awareness of dengue infection among a selected group of school children and to assess the effectiveness of dengue awareness programmes to improve the existing knowledge and preventive practices on dengue. Methods. A cohort of 2,194 students (13–15 years old) from 10 schools at Kelaniya educational zone, Gampaha District, Western Province of Sri Lanka, was enrolled for the current study, which was conducted during 2015-2016. A self-administered questionnaire, comprising 20 questions, was used to evaluate the present knowledge of the students on various aspects of dengue. A structured awareness programme (2 hours) was conducted for students, followed by a reassessment. General Linear Model (GLM) and chi-square test of independence were used to investigate the variations in knowledge levels. Results. The majority of students were characterized by “Good” (46.31%, n= 1016) and “Moderate” (42.62%, n= 935) awareness, while only 2.92% (n= 64) of students fell into the “Excellent” (>80%) category prior to the awareness programme. Even though, existing knowledge of students about dengue ranged between “Moderate” and “Good” categories, awareness of “symptoms & patient care” and “control & prevention practices” were limited. After the programme, the awareness level reached the “Excellent” (41.84%, n=918) level indicating a significant increase by 38.92%, according to the chi-square test (p<0.05 at 95% level of confidence). Conclusion. We recommend implementing school-based educational programmes in order to raise the awareness and to translate knowledge into sound practice to control dengue disease epidemics in these areas. |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/3092073 |
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