Unveiling the Dengue Knowledge Gap and Symptom Awareness Among Students of Shahjalal University of Science and...

Dengue, a significant global public health concern, effectively managing the spread of dengue requires a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the general community toward dengue prevention. The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding dengue fever among Shahjalal University of Science and Technology students, with a specific focus on identifying gaps in symptom awareness.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet, Bangladesh. All six schools of SUST were included, and a stratified random sampling approach with proportional allocation was used to select 419 students. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from a previously published study and validated by experts. Descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, and Spearman's rank correlation were used to analyze knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to dengue. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, with a significance level set at 0.05.

This study was conducted based on 419 participants and the average age of the participants was 23.14 ± 0.96 years. Of them, 37.7% were women and 62.3% were men. Twenty three point six percent had previously experienced dengue, either personally or in their family, but the other 76.4% were non-experienced. The data show that respondents' levels of good knowledge (68.3%), good attitude (85.9%), and good practice (75.9%) are generally high. Most recognized symptoms were Fever (98.8%), joint pain (94.3%), and restlessness (74.0%). Awareness was highest for fever (98.8%), joint pain (94.3%), and headache (84%). In contrast, fewer participants recognized tree branches (36.5%) and flowing water (21.2%) as potential breeding sites. Only 58.7% were aware of medicines like paracetamol or anti-allergic drugs, and 30.5% knew of herbal remedies. Weak correlations were seen between knowledge and practices (r = 0.053, p = 0.278) and knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.025, p = 0.612) after the analysis. There was a negatively strong but not statistically significant relationship between attitudes and practices (r = -0.092, p = 0.061).

Some symptoms, such as cold, swollen glands, stomach ache, back pain, etc., are less noticeable to students. Some pupils lack the knowledge necessary to prevent dengue and are unaware of its breeding grounds. The knowledge behavior gap should be minimized. For dengue education programs to be effective, they should highlight less prevalent symptoms, make use of social media, and encourage proactive preventive measures. Also, participation in community prevention initiatives should be emphasized.