Abstract

JAMANCA S, Ronal et al. Estudio cap de dengue en los distritos de Cercado de Lima, La Victoria y San Luis. Lima, Perú. junio 2004. Rev. perú. med. exp. salud publica [online]. 2005, vol.22, n.1, pp.26-31. ISSN 1726-4634.

Objectives: To determine dengue fever knowledge, attitude, and practice levels in the following districts in Lima, Peru: Downtown Lima, La Victoria, and San Luis. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive population-based and cross-sectional study; sample size calculated for a 1% Aedic index, and a two-staged sampling was used. A 17- closed question structured interview was used, which was performed by trained environmental sanitation personnel or health promoters. The interview was applied to the first adult person present in the selected household. Data was entered in Epi Info v.6, and it was analyzed using SPSS v.11 software. Results: 5381 persons were interviewed, their average age was 42 ± 16 years, two-thirds were women, and 76% had gone to high school or to a superior educational institution. 69.2% of interviewed persons declared knowing about dengue fever, but only 65.4% of then had an acceptable knowledge level. 121 interviewed persons (2.1%) declared having early morning mosquito bites on their legs, suspecting they were bitten by Aedes aegypti. 55.1% of persons interviewed collected water in their households, and la Victoria district was the place where this practice was most frequent (65.8%). Compared with persons who studied in the northern part of the country, those who studied in the highlands had a significantly inferior knowledge of dengue fever (OR= 2.21; 95% Confidence Interval= 1,72 - 2,83). Conclusions: It is necessary to implement intersectorial activities for dengue fever health promotion, prevention, and control, especially in la Victoria district and in those persons coming from the highlands; and also entomological surveillance must be strengthened, particularly in those households where mosquito bites suspectedly caused by Aedes aegypti have been reported.

Keywords : Dengue; Aedes aegypti; Health Knowledge; Attitudes, Practice; Peru.

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