Dengue hemorrhagic fever knowledge, perception, and preventive behavior among secondary school students in Bangkok.

Objective: To explore dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) knowledge, perception, and preventive behavior among secondary school students in Nong-Kheam, Bangkok, Thailand.

Material And Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 300 students between 12 and 16 years old currently attending secondary schools in the Bangkok metropolitan areas using self-administered questionnaires. Data were subsequently summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results: Only 18.0% of students had a good level of overall knowledge of DHF but more than half had a good level of perception of DHF The results also revealed that only 4.7% of students had a good level of preventive behavior and 75.6% required improvement.

Conclusion: The levels of knowledge, perception, and preventive behavior were low. Health education programs should be continued and intensified with emphasis on improving the knowledge of students on prevention and control practices.