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Influence of Dengue Fever Education on Mosquito-Bite Prevention Practices among Residents of Urban Communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection that represents an emerging public health concern in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of Africa. Urban communities may be particularly vulnerable because population density, environmental conditions, inadequate waste management, stagnant water, and other factors can support the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit dengue viruses. Dengue infection may cause fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea, rash, and, in severe cases, serious complications requiring medical attention. Dengue fever education provides residents with information about dengue transmission, symptoms, mosquito breeding sites, risk factors, personal protection, environmental management, and the importance of early healthcare seeking. Mosquito-bite prevention practices refer to behaviours adopted by residents to reduce contact with mosquitoes, including the use of insect repellents, appropriate clothing, mosquito nets where relevant, window and door screens, elimination of standing water, proper disposal of containers that can collect water, and maintenance of clean household and community environments. In Nigeria, limited awareness of dengue fever, misconceptions about mosquito-borne diseases, inadequate environmental sanitation, poor waste disposal, and limited access to reliable health information may affect the adoption of appropriate mosquito-bite prevention practices. Effective dengue fever education may improve knowledge and encourage residents to adopt appropriate personal and environmental measures to reduce mosquito exposure. Against this background, this study investigates the influence of dengue fever education on mosquito-bite prevention practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model explains preventive health behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding residents' decisions to adopt mosquito-bite prevention practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, behavioural capabilities, and environmental conditions in shaping health behaviour. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how improved knowledge and attitudes resulting from dengue fever education may influence mosquito-bite prevention practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how dengue fever education may influence mosquito-bite prevention practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from adult residents of selected urban communities in Nigeria using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational environmental checklist. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, urban communities, households, and eligible residents. Where feasible, selected communities or participant groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Residents in the intervention group will receive structured dengue fever education covering dengue transmission, symptoms, mosquito breeding sites, risk factors, personal protection, environmental sanitation, elimination of stagnant water, proper disposal of water-holding containers, use of insect repellents, appropriate clothing, household screening, and timely healthcare seeking for suspected symptoms. Mosquito-bite prevention practices will be assessed using indicators such as use of insect repellents, appropriate protective clothing, use of mosquito nets where appropriate, installation or use of window and door screens, elimination of stagnant water, proper disposal or management of water-holding containers, environmental sanitation, and household participation in mosquito-control activities. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize residents' sociodemographic characteristics, dengue fever knowledge, exposure to education, and mosquito-bite prevention practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the influence of dengue fever education on mosquito-bite prevention practices. Appropriate diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that dengue fever education has a significant positive influence on mosquito-bite prevention practices among residents of urban communities in Nigeria. Residents exposed to structured dengue fever education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of dengue transmission and greater adoption of personal and environmental mosquito-control practices. Education may encourage the elimination of stagnant water, appropriate management of water-holding containers, use of insect repellents and protective clothing, improved household screening, and greater participation in community environmental sanitation activities. Education may also improve recognition of dengue symptoms and encourage timely healthcare seeking. However, education alone may not guarantee sustained prevention practices because residents may continue to face environmental and structural barriers such as poor drainage, inadequate waste management, overcrowding, limited access to mosquito-control materials, and persistent mosquito breeding sites. Consequently, dengue fever education is expected to be most effective when supported by environmental sanitation programmes, effective waste management, vector-control interventions, reliable health information, and accessible healthcare services. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on dengue fever, vector-borne disease prevention, environmental health, health education, mosquito control, urban health, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the influence of dengue fever education on mosquito-bite prevention practices among urban residents. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), state ministries of health, local government health authorities, environmental health agencies, vector-control programmes, healthcare providers, community health workers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing mosquito-borne disease risks. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening dengue fever education, promoting household and community vector-control practices, improving environmental sanitation and waste management, reducing mosquito breeding sites, strengthening disease surveillance, and encouraging appropriate mosquito-bite prevention practices among urban residents across Nigeria.

Keywords: Dengue fever education, mosquito-bite prevention practices, urban communities, dengue fever, mosquito control, vector-borne diseases, environmental health, health education, vector control, disease prevention, urban health, public health, Nigeria.