Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among university students in relation to dengue fever: A multi-center study across Vietnamese regions.

OBJECTIVE

Dengue fever (DF) is a serious illness worldwide that can spread rapidly and become a dangerous epidemic. Vietnam is an endemic country affected by the health and economic burden of dengue. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to DF among university students across Vietnam.

METHODS

A student-based cross-sectional study was performed with a structured questionnaire in Vietnam between July and September 2018. A Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare different issues between two student groups, including medical and non-medical student, and P-values of <0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

A total of 1,542 students from universities in Vietnam responded to the survey, which was reflective of 315 medical students learning in public schools, 689 medical students learning in private schools, and 538 non-medical students. The majority of participants had good knowledge on the transmission of DF, good attitudes toward DF, and good practices to prevent the disease. Medical students had better knowledge of the signs and symptoms than non-medical students. However, both student groups' knowledge of signs and symptoms was low.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of education is a key determinant of the knowledge of the disease, as well as of attitudes and practices. This study supported the government's implementation of intervention projects and DF prevention campaigns and its positive participation in the community.