[Knowledge about dengue and cardio-cerebrovascular disease in a town in Colombia]

This study aimed at describing a low-income population's knowledge and perception concerning dengue and cardio-cerebrovascular disease in a town in Colombia.

The study involved qualitative research; data from 16 semi-structured individual and 3 focus groups was collected through questionnaires addressing 3 low-income sectors and then interpreted. Deductive categorisation of data was based on the questions and inductive analysis to establish such population's knowledge for studying their perceptions regarding dengue and cardio-cerebrovascular disease.

It was evident that the target population knew about the agents, the forms of acquiring such diseases, the risk factors and action to be taken for preventing and controlling both diseases; however, such knowledge did not represent (i.e. had not led to) changes in their daily practice or lifestyles.

Local health centre actions needs to be supported by theory or models and must go beyond single interventions based essentially on the transmission of information.