Investigation of dengue related knowledge, attitudes and practices among form three secondary school students in the seven counties of Trinidad

OBJECTIVE: To investigate dengue related knowledge, attitudes and practices among secondary school students in Trinidad. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken. All counties were included; one school from each county was randomly selected. Form Three students of the 7 schools were invited to participate. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Almost three-quarters of respondents (73.1%) demonstrated sufficient knowledge about dengue. There appeared to be a link with preventative practices among households and adequate knowledge. Moreover, students associated with persons who had been previously diagnosed with dengue demonstrated a greater level of knowledge than those without. In fact, the school with highest knowledge levels also had the greatest proportion who reported a relative with a past diagnosis of dengue. Furthermore, 53.3% agreed that dengue was a community concern, while 59.6% believed that control and eradication of the dengue vector was primarily the responsibility of Health Authorities. CONCLUSION: It appears that students with greater knowledge engaged in preventative measures and vice versa. Knowledge, attitudes and practices may be influenced by several rather than a single factor. With a greater proportion stating that vector control was the responsibility of the health authorities, the findings, though encouraging in parts, highlighted a need for further targeted health education measures.