Kittayapong Pattamaporn, Ninphanomchai Suwannapa, Jalichandra Namon, Sringernyuang Luechai, Sherer Penchan, Meemon Natthani
Center of Excellence for Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University at Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
EcoHealth Research Center, Go Green Co., Ltd., Na Muang Sub-District, Muang District, Chachoengsao, Thailand.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Jul 28;19(7):e0011935. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011935. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Arboviral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika are public health concerns worldwide. Prevention and control of these diseases still depend on controlling Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors. Sterile insect technique (SIT) and incompatible insect technique (IIT) are environmental friendly approaches that show promising impacts. In order to plan an implementation of SIT/IIT technology, background knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to mosquito-borne diseases, mosquito vectors and their prevention and control, as well as acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for the technology, in the targeted communities are needed.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this paper, we conducted questionnaire surveys on KAP and WTP in 400 sampled households in seven communities located in two districts in Bangkok, Thailand. Multivariate logistic regressions analysis was used to determine the association among knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. Our findings indicated that participants had high knowledge on dengue (85.25%), and they were more concerned with the severity of dengue than chikungunya and Zika. Participants with ages lower than 35 years old (p = 0.047) and incomes higher than 5,000 THB (p = 0.016) had more knowledge of mosquito vectors. Moreover, 47% of respondents had positive attitude toward sterile mosquitoes and their application in vector control even though 45.5% of them had never heard about the technology. However, the majority of them were not willing to pay (52%); and if they had to pay, the maximum would be 1-2 THB (US$ 1 = ~34 THB) per sterile mosquito, since most of them expected to receive the service as public support from the government.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study was the first to study KAP and WTP related to SIT/IIT technology. It provided unique insights into how communities view the technology. It also suggested potential for successful implementation with proper education as well as highlighted the need for cost-sharing strategies with government subsidization for SIT/IIT deployment. Municipal officials and community health volunteers were key communication channels and targeted public education was needed, especially on under-recognized diseases like chikungunya and Zika. These findings should be useful for health authorities in planning to integrate SIT/IIT technology with traditional approaches for disease vector control and prevention.
登革热、基孔肯雅热和寨卡等虫媒病毒病是全球公共卫生关注的问题。这些疾病的预防和控制仍然依赖于控制埃及伊蚊这一病媒。昆虫不育技术（SIT）和昆虫不亲和技术（IIT）是具有良好前景的环保方法。为了规划SIT/IIT技术的实施，需要了解目标社区中与蚊媒疾病、蚊虫病媒及其预防控制相关的背景知识、态度和行为（KAP），以及对该技术的接受程度和支付意愿（WTP）。
方法/主要发现：在本文中，我们对泰国曼谷两个区七个社区的400户抽样家庭进行了关于KAP和WTP的问卷调查。采用多变量逻辑回归分析来确定关于登革热、基孔肯雅热和寨卡的知识、态度和行为之间的关联。我们的研究结果表明，参与者对登革热的知晓率较高（85.25%），并且他们对登革热严重程度的关注高于基孔肯雅热和寨卡。年龄低于35岁（p = 0.047）和收入高于5000泰铢（p = 0.016）的参与者对蚊虫病媒的了解更多。此外，47%的受访者对不育蚊子及其在病媒控制中的应用持积极态度，尽管其中45.5%的人从未听说过该技术。然而，大多数人不愿意支付（52%）；如果必须支付，他们对每只不育蚊子的最高支付意愿为1 - 2泰铢（1美元约等于34泰铢），因为他们中的大多数人期望作为政府的公共支持来获得这项服务。
结论/意义：我们的研究首次探讨了与SIT/IIT技术相关的KAP和WTP。它为社区如何看待该技术提供了独特的见解。这也表明通过适当的教育有成功实施的潜力，并强调了在SIT/IIT部署中采用政府补贴的成本分担策略的必要性。市政官员和社区卫生志愿者是关键的沟通渠道，需要有针对性地开展公众教育，特别是关于基孔肯雅热和寨卡等认识不足的疾病。这些研究结果对于卫生当局规划将SIT/IIT技术与传统病媒控制和预防方法相结合应是有用的。
