Effects of Village Health Volunteers Performance on Dengue Surveillance, Prevention and Control, Khlongluang District, Pathumthani Province

Abstract

This comparative cross-sectional research aimed to compare effects of village health volunteers (VHVs) performance on dengue hemorrhagic fever surveillance, prevention and control between the area with low and high dengue incidence in Khlongluang district, Pathumthani province. The sample consisted of 199 VHVs from the lowest dengue incidence area and 156 VHVs from the highest dengue incidence area. The research instruments consisted of a survey form of house index and the questionnaires with the reliability within the range of .63-.90. Data were collected from May to July, 2015. Statistics used for data analysis included frequency, percentage, Z-test, and Chi-square test.

The results revealed that 1) the house index had no statistically significant difference between a low and a high dengue incidence area; and 2) the VHVs in a low dengue incidence area had statistically significant better knowledge of dengue hemorrhagic fever than those in a high dengue incidence area (c² = 7.515, p < .01). Nevertheless, the VHVs in a low dengue incidence area had statistically significant less perceived severity of dengue hemorrhagic fever and leadership for dengue hemorrhagic fever surveillance, prevention and control than those in a high dengue incidence area (c² = 11.962, p < .01 and c² = 15.784, p < .001, respectively).

This study suggested that health care providers should proactively enhance knowledge of and perceived severity toward dengue hemorrhagic fever among VHVs.