A Study to Assess the Level of Knowledge Regarding Dengue Prevention Among House Hold in A Selected Area of Kishtwar Jammu and Kashmir

Dengue fever is a fast growing viral disease with a high potential to cause significant health-related issues in tropical and subtropical areas as well as in some places in the northern parts of India, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. This research was done to determine the extent of knowledge on dengue prevention among households in a selected region of Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, and to determine the effect of educational status of the household head and exposure to the sources of health information on the knowledge levels. The descriptive research design was employed and a structured questionnaire was used to sample out 100 household respondents. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic variables and the inferential tests were conducted using regression and ANOVA tests with SPSS software. The results showed that education of the household head significantly contributed positively to knowledge of dengue prevention at statistical significance with 21 percent variance in the scores of knowledge. Significant association was also found to exist between exposure to sources of health information which explained 12.2 percent of the variation. The two predictors had moderate positive associations with the dependent variable. The research points out that education is a key factor in creating awareness and knowledge concerning the prevention of dengue, and the health communication is a supportive factor in strengthening the knowledge. The findings reinstate the relevance of multi-level community-based educational and awareness initiatives to enhance the dengue prevention activities. Specific measures aimed at enhancing literacy and access to quality health information can play a significant role in ensuring that the risk of dengue is reduced at the household level.