Beyond top-down: community co-creation approaches for sustainable dengue vector control

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vector-Borne Diseases
• Community Engagement

Background:

• Dengue fever, transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, poses a significant global health challenge.
• Traditional control methods struggle with insecticide resistance and low community participation.
• There is a need for innovative, community-centered dengue management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore co-creation as a collaborative strategy for dengue control.
• To review the rationale, methods, effectiveness, and challenges of co-creation in dengue management.
• To highlight the potential of community-driven solutions in public health.

Main Methods:

• This narrative review synthesizes existing literature on co-creation in dengue control.
• It examines studies focusing on community participation in designing and implementing interventions.
• The review analyzes evidence for co-creation's impact on ownership, relevance, and behavior change.

Main Results:

• Co-creation fosters community ownership and responsibility for dengue control.
• It leverages local knowledge to create contextually relevant and effective interventions.
• Initiatives have successfully promoted behavior change, including improved waste management and personal protection.

Conclusions:

• Co-creation offers a promising approach to enhance sustainable dengue control strategies.
• Addressing challenges like trust, power dynamics, and long-term sustainability is crucial for success.
• Empowering communities is key to developing effective and lasting public health solutions.