The Behavior Change Program for the Prevention and Control of Dengue Fever among the People of Eepad Subdistrict, Kanthararom District, Sisaket Province.

Abstract

            This quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate the effects of a behavior modification program on dengue fever prevention and control among residents in E-Pad Sub-district, Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province. The sample consisted of 78 household representatives, divided equally into experimental (E-Pad Sub-district) and control groups (Nong Bua Sub-district), with 39 participants in each group, selected through a multi-stage random sampling process. The research instruments included a behavior modification program for dengue fever prevention and control based on the Health Belief Model, comprising 7 activities implemented over 12 weeks, and assessment tools measuring dengue fever knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits of prevention, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, dengue prevention and control behaviors, and larval indices (BI and CI). Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, including paired t-tests for within-group comparisons and independent t-tests for between-group comparisons, with a statistical significance level of 0.05.

            The results showed that after the intervention, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores than the control group (p<0.001) in all aspects: dengue fever knowledge (18.45 vs. 14.52), perceived susceptibility (3.71 vs. 2.18), perceived severity (4.55 vs. 3.32), perceived benefits of prevention (4.69 vs. 3.45), perceived barriers (3.83 vs. 2.31), perceived self-efficacy (4.18 vs. 4.05), and dengue prevention and control behaviors (4.26 vs. 3.18). Within-group analysis revealed significant improvements (p<0.001) in all variables for the experimental group. The larval indices significantly decreased: BI from 158.45 to 68.25 and CI from 25.85 to 12.35 (p<0.001).