HISTORY OF DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER-LIKE SYMPTOMS, CARE-SEEKING BEHAVIORS, AND HOUSEHOLD CONDITIONS AMONG RESIDENTS OF WANG WISET DISTRICT, TRANG PROVINCE, SOUTHERN THAILAND

Abstract

The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of dengue-like symptoms, dengue care-seeking behaviors, and household conditions among residents of Wang Wiset District, Trang Province, Southern Thailand. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study with mised method (structured interview and non-participatory rapid observation of household conditions) among residents of Wang Wiset District. We requested the help of local village health volunteers in introducing us to residents under their area of responsibility and asked for permission to conduct interview and observed the exteriors of their households. We entered data into online KoboToolbox platform or the KoboCollect application and analyzed the study data using descriptive statistics. We collected data from 363 participants in 256 households. The participants were mostly women with a mean age of 55 years. Only a minority of the study participants (7%) had dengue-like symptoms within 12 months before the survey, most of whom (78%) sought medical care at public hospitals. More than four-fifths of the households had wet containers, and 18% of all households had a wet container with mosquito larvae. In 14% of the households, members of the investigation team reported encountering mosquitos at least once. The findings of the study contribute to the understanding of the health determinants of the local population and also offer insights for disease prevention. However, limitations regarding the generalizability and potential selection and information biases should be considered as caveats in the interpretation of the study findings.