A home survey to identify key information and means of delivery to strengthen education and communication strategies in the prevention and control of Dengue Fever

Introduction: In populations with recurrent epidemics, such as Dengue Fever in Paraguay, it is of utmost importance for health agencies to know the population's level of awareness regarding the disease and the population's sources of information, in order to adjust communication strategies and health education and promote sustainable practices of methods known to prevent and control the disease. Objective: To determine the level of knowledge of the population and the available sources of information on Dengue in 4 cities corresponding to the Paraguayan Health Regions: XI-XVIII-Central and Capital Districts, between October and November 2013. Methods: we performed a non-probability qualitative and quantitative sample survey by random methods. Results: 1,376 surveys were conducted. The survey population was predominantly female (70%) with a median age between 41 and 45 years. 42.0% of respondents reported that Dengue is a disease and 35.0% responded that it was a virus. 64.3% recognized the Aedes aegypti mosquito as the transmitting agent. 61.8% are aware of preventive measures to eliminate breeding, 77.8% specify that accumulated wastewater must be eliminated and 87.9% agree that it is their responsibility to do so in their homes. The main symptoms of dengue cited by respondents were: fever (86.7%), headache (70.4%) and muscle pain (60.3%). 75.5% of respondents access information through mass media: television (85.1%) was cited as the main source, viewed Mondays through Fridays (65.9%) during the evening hours (51.2%). Conclusion: Most of the population has knowledge about dengue and measures to prevent the disease. The main sources of information were television and interpersonal relationships in neighborhood gatherings, health centers or churches. Keywords: Epidemiology - Dengue - Paraguay