Nazareth Teresa, Teodósio Rosa, Porto Graça, Gonçalves Luzia, Seixas Gonçalo, Silva Ana Clara, Sousa Carla Alexandra
Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
BMC Public Health. 2014 Jan 15;14:39. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-39.
Community participation is mandatory in the prevention of Dengue outbreaks. Taking public views into account is crucial to guide more effective planning and quicker community participation in preventing campaigns. This study aims to assess community perceptions of Madeira population in order to explore their involvement in the A. aegypti's control and reinforce health-educational planning. Due to the lack of accurate methodologies for measuring perception, a new tool to assess the community's perceptions was built.
A cross-sectional survey was performed in the Island's aegypti-infested area, exploring residents' perceptions regarding most critical community behaviour: aegypti-source reduction and their domestic aegypti-breeding sites. A novel tool defining five essential topics which underlie the source reduction's awareness and accession was built, herein called Essential-Perception (EP) analysis.
Of 1276 individuals, 1182 completed the questionnaire (92 · 6%). EP-Score analysis revealed that community's perceptions were scarce, inconsistent and possibly incorrect. Most of the population (99 · 6%) did not completely understood the five essential topics explored. An average of 54 · 2% of residents only partially understood each essential topic, revealing inconsistencies in their understanding. Each resident apparently believed in an average of four false assumptions/myths. Significant association (p<0.001) was found between both the EP-Score level and the domestic presence of breeding sites, supporting the validity of this EP-analysis. Aedes aegypti's breeding sites, consisting of décor/leisure containers, presented an atypical pattern of infestation comparing with dengue prone regions.
The studied population was not prepared for being fully engaged in dengue prevention. Evidences suggest that EP-methodology was efficient and accurate in assessing the community perception and its compliance to practices. Moreover, it suggested a list of myths that could persist in the community. This is the first study reporting an aegypti-entomological pattern and community's perception in a developed dengue-prone region. Tailored messages considering findings of this study are recommended to be used in future campaigns in order to more effectively impact the community perception and behaviour.
社区参与是预防登革热疫情的必要条件。考虑公众意见对于指导更有效的规划以及更快地推动社区参与预防活动至关重要。本研究旨在评估马德拉岛居民的社区认知，以探索他们在埃及伊蚊控制方面的参与情况，并加强健康教育规划。由于缺乏衡量认知的准确方法，因此构建了一种新的工具来评估社区认知。
在该岛埃及伊蚊滋生区域进行了一项横断面调查，探讨居民对最关键的社区行为的认知：减少埃及伊蚊滋生地及其家庭中的埃及伊蚊繁殖场所。构建了一种新颖的工具，定义了五个构成减少滋生地意识和参与度基础的基本主题，在此称为基本认知（EP）分析。
在1276名个体中，1182人完成了问卷（92.6%）。EP评分分析显示，社区的认知较为匮乏、不一致且可能不正确。大多数人群（99.6%）并未完全理解所探讨的五个基本主题。平均54.2%的居民仅部分理解每个基本主题，这表明他们的理解存在不一致性。每位居民显然平均相信四个错误假设/误解。在EP评分水平与家庭中繁殖场所的存在之间发现了显著关联（p<0.001），支持了这种EP分析的有效性。与登革热高发地区相比，由装饰/休闲容器构成的埃及伊蚊繁殖场所呈现出非典型的滋生模式。
所研究的人群未做好充分参与登革热预防的准备。有证据表明，EP方法在评估社区认知及其对实践的依从性方面是有效且准确的。此外，它还揭示了可能在社区中持续存在的一系列误解。这是第一项报告在登革热高发的发达地区埃及伊蚊的昆虫学模式和社区认知的研究。建议在未来的活动中使用考虑本研究结果的针对性信息，以便更有效地影响社区认知和行为。
