The Relationship between Participation and Dengue Haemorrhage Fever Prevention and Control Behaviour of People in Bang Bua Thong District, Nonthaburi Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey study investigates how participation relates to dengue haemorrhage fever (DHF) prevention and control behaviour. The sample size is 284 participants selected by stratified random sampling. Data collection was done using questionnaires. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, which measures the reliability of our survey, showed a high value of 0.964. Data analysis using descriptive statistics and the Spearman rank correlation coefficient to understand the relationships between variables. The research findings revealed that people’s involvement in preventing and controlling DHF falls moderately across various aspects. Among these aspects, the highest average score was in involvement related to outcome benefits (= 3.60, S.D.= 1.06), followed by involvement in operational activities (= 3.59, S.D.= 0.99). Involvement in the evaluation process (= 3.22, S.D.= 1.07), and involvement in decision-making (= 3.08, S.D.= 1.27) received a slightly lower but notable average rating. Overall, the engagement level in DHF prevention and control behaviour was moderate (= 3.26, S.D.= 0.45). Once the relationships were examined, it was found that all aspects of participation were significantly linked to dengue haemorrhage fever prevention and control behaviour. The strongest correlation was seen in participation in outcome benefits (r_s = 0.725), followed closely by participation in operational activities (r_s = 0.703), participation in evaluation processes (r_s = 0.657), and participation in decision-making (r_s = 0.605), respectively. Recommendations to improve the effectiveness of DHF control include establishing a genuine participatory process involving both the sub-district health promoting hospital and the community. Additionally, community involvement in decision-making should be initiated right from the start of prevention and control efforts.