Exploring Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Dengue Fever Among University Students in Bangladesh: A...

Inadequate knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) related to dengue fever (DF) can substantially affect vulnerable people, such as Bangladeshi university students, because of their living status. However, this topic has never been explored. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the levels and factors influencing knowledge, attitudes and practices of university students in Bangladesh.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2023 to January 2024 among 671 university students through convenient sampling. Logistic regression models were employed to analyze the association between outcome measures across sociodemographic and academic variables.

Around one-third (30.40%) of the university students had good knowledge of DF, while just over one-third (35.90%) had good practices and nearly three-fourths (72.30%) demonstrated a higher attitude towards DF. Participants who had a dengue-related subject in their curriculum were more likely to have higher knowledge (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.18-2.45) and a positive attitude (AOR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.07-2.28) toward dengue fever. Participants who encountered dengue cases within their family members (AOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.18-2.4) showed significant preventive practices. However, the likelihood of adopting preventive practices was lower when dengue cases were reported among neighbors (AOR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.37-0.88). Moreover, robust preventive practices were significantly associated with good knowledge levels (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.25-2.46), while a partially significant relationship was observed between preventive behaviors and a positive attitude among participants (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.00-2.16).

Overall knowledge and preventive practices concerning dengue fever among university students were found to be inadequate. Raising awareness should involve coordinated efforts by university authorities and family members. Furthermore, translating knowledge and attitude into preventive actions is crucial to reduce risks of dengue fever among these vulnerable groups.