Video assisted education on knowledge and practices of house wives towards prevention of Dengue Fever at Gokak Taluk, Karnataka, India

Dengue fever is gradually getting widespread in India for the past few years. There is no coordinated effort at the government level to educate the general public on the preventive aspects of dengue fever. Housewives in India play a vital role in the health of the family members. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and preventive practices of dengue fever among the housewives of Gokak Taluk, Karnataka, India. It was a one group pre-test post-test study. One hundred and forty housewives have participated from the entire village. The knowledge level of the housewives was assessed using a structured knowledge questionnaire. An observational checklist was used to observe the preventive practices. Though there was a significant gain in knowledge, there was a gap between knowledge and practice. Findings of the research throw light on the inadequate knowledge and unhealthy practices in the community, though the scores of knowledge and some of the practices improved after video education. More consistent efforts from the government and community participation are required to bring about a permanent behaviour change towards preventive practices of dengue fever.