An Epidemiological Study of Dengue Knowledge Among Adults Exposed and Not Exposed to Health Education in an Urban Slum of a Metropolitan City

Background: Dengue remains a major public health concern in India, with gaps in knowledge of transmission, symptoms, breeding sites and biting behaviour. Comparisons of dengue-related knowledge between health-education-exposed and non-exposed adults in urban slums remain limited. This study assessed and compared knowledge between the groups and examined its association with socio-demographic characteristics. Material and Methods: This community-based analytical cross-sectional study included 100 adults from an urban slum in Mumbai, comprising 50 health-education-exposed and 50 non-exposed participants. Socio-demographic characteristics and dengue-related knowledge were compared using chi-square or exact tests. Composite knowledge scores were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test, and associations with socio-demographic characteristics were assessed using Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Among 100 participants (50 per group), socio-demographic characteristics did not differ significantly. Compared with non-exposed participants, exposed participants more often identified mosquito-bite transmission (90% vs 38%), dengue symptoms (94% vs 40%), indoor breeding sites (58% vs 20%), outdoor breeding sites (64% vs 34%), dengue preventability and preventive steps (88% vs 28%), and fatality (82% vs 32%) (all p ≤ 0.003). Knowledge scores were higher among exposed participants (7.70 ± 1.31 vs 4.10 ± 2.52; p < 0.001). Poor knowledge was absent among exposed participants versus 68% of non-exposed participants. Occupation was associated with scores only among non-exposed participants (p = 0.035). Conclusion: Health-education-exposed participants demonstrated greater dengue-related knowledge than non-exposed participants. Targeted health education may address knowledge gaps regarding transmission, breeding sites and preventive practices in urban-slum communities.

Keywords: Dengue; Health Education; Mosquito Bite; Slums.