Assessing perceived dengue risk, attitude, and prevention practices in Barangay Buhangin Proper, Davao City

Dengue remains a significant public health issue in the Philippines and globally. This study aimed to evaluate the risk perception, attitude, and prevention practices of Barangay Buhangin Proper residents while examining whether socio-demographic profiles significantly influenced these factors. The objective was to develop strategic community health interventions. A total of 584 residents participated in face-to-face interviews using an adapted risk perception, attitude, and practice questionnaire. The results show that residents demonstrated good risk perception (51.49, cut-off = 51.20) and attitude (43.62, cut-off = 38.40), but exhibited poor practice (47.22, cut-off = 57.60). The study also revealed that females (OR = 1.493, 95% CI = 1.016-2.194, p = 0.041), college graduates (OR = 0.653, 95% CI = 0.273-1.561, p = 0.041), and employed individuals (OR = 0.654, 95% CI = 0.441-0.970, p = 0.034) were statistically associated with good risk perception while being married (OR = 0.699, 95% CI = 0.318-1.714, p = 0.038) was associated with a positive attitude. However, no socio-demographic factors were linked to good practice, indicating that the issue with practices persists regardless of profile. Furthermore, weak positive correlations were observed between risk perception and attitude (r = 0.266, p 0.001), risk perception and practice (r = 0.092, p 0.027), and attitude and practice (r = 0.144, p 0.001). Despite awareness of risks and having positive attitudes, the community struggles to maintain effective practices due to complacency, self-serving behaviour, and inadequately targeted interventions. This study recommends implementing tailored interventions to address the root causes and effectively combat dengue