Abstract
Introduction: As the globe tackles the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian countries were facing an increased incidence of dengue, which became an important public health problem. However, effective and sustainable disease control measures in the area are still lacking. Therefore, the current study is aimed to evaluate the development and implementation of high school-based dengue solution model in Southern Thailand.
Methods: Integrated community based participatory action research (PAR) was employed using preparation, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Data was collected using quantitative and qualitative methods from high school students. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage, chi-square and fisher’s exact test were used to summarize and compare quantitative data before and after intervention. Similarly, qualitative data was collected through interviews and FGD and then analyzed through thematic analysis.
Results: Two hundred and thirty-nine (96.3%, n=239/248) and 232 (93.5, n=232/248) participants were included in the interventions before and after respectively. School-based dengue prevention was developed with input from a variety of stakeholders, including community leaders, health educators, district officials, and community health volunteers. As demonstrated by pre- to post-test results, students understanding of dengue and the larval indices surveillance system has increased. Students who received the training were not only inspired but created a sense of community responsibility with a high commitment to teaching and sharing information in their circle to enhance overall community wellbeing. Beig female and higher educational attainment was associated with students understanding.
