Mweya Clement N, Mwanyonga Simeon P, Ndelwa Liness A, Massaro Joyce
Mbeya College of Health and Allied Sciences University of Dar es Salaam Mbeya Tanzania.
Mbeya Medical Research Center National Institute for Medical Research Mbeya Tanzania.
Health Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 28;8(5):e70745. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.70745. eCollection 2025 May.
Dengue fever epidemics pose an increasing public health threat in Tanzania. Climate change and industrialization may influence outbreaks, while community knowledge plays a vital role in prevention. This study examined public knowledge about environmental and anthropogenic impacts on dengue transmission.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2022 with 482 participants from Bahi, Kyela, and Ngorongoro districts. A validated questionnaire assessed demographic characteristics and knowledge about dengue epidemiology related to climate and industrialization. Multinomial logistic regression and tests examined associations between variables.
Over half of the participants (52.9%) were male, and most were aged 26-35 (33.2%). Only 21% demonstrated a good understanding of industrialization's health impacts, while 19% knew the climate change linkage with dengue. Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding climate change and industrialization impacts linked to recurrent epidemics (44.2% poor knowledge). Age over 35 (AOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.39-2.14), primary education or less (AOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.59-0.99), and unemployment (AOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.23-0.42) were associated with poor knowledge. Gender and occupation significantly predicted climate change knowledge ( < 0.001).
Communities in dengue-endemic areas have limited knowledge about climate and anthropogenic drivers of recurring epidemics. Targeted educational interventions can improve understanding and preventative behavior among high-risk demographics.
登革热疫情在坦桑尼亚对公众健康构成日益严重的威胁。气候变化和工业化可能影响疫情爆发，而社区知识在预防中起着至关重要的作用。本研究调查了公众对环境和人为因素对登革热传播影响的了解情况。
2022年4月至6月进行了一项横断面研究，来自巴伊、凯拉和恩戈罗恩戈罗地区的482名参与者参与其中。一份经过验证的问卷评估了人口统计学特征以及与气候和工业化相关的登革热流行病学知识。多项逻辑回归和检验分析了变量之间的关联。
超过一半的参与者（52.9%）为男性，大多数年龄在26 - 35岁之间（33.2%）。只有21%的人对工业化对健康的影响有较好的理解，而19%的人知道气候变化与登革热的联系。在与反复出现的疫情相关的气候变化和工业化影响方面存在显著的知识差距（44.2%的人知识匮乏）。35岁以上（优势比1.73，95%置信区间1.39 - 2.14）、小学及以下学历（优势比0.77，95%置信区间0.59 - 0.99）以及失业（优势比0.31，95%置信区间0.23 - 0.42）与知识匮乏相关。性别和职业显著预测了气候变化知识（P < 0.001）。
登革热流行地区的社区对反复出现的疫情的气候和人为驱动因素了解有限。有针对性的教育干预可以提高高危人群的认识和预防行为。
