HEALTH LITERACY IN PREVENTING DENGUE FEVER AMONG PEOPLE IN BAN TANG NGO, KHUAN DON DISTRICT, SATUN PROVINCE

Abstract

Dengue fever remains a major public health concern in communities where environmental conditions facilitate Aedes mosquito breeding. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to determine attitudes, health literacy levels, and factors associated with health literacy regarding dengue fever prevention among residents of Ban Tang Ngo, Khuan Sato Subdistrict, Khuan Don District, Satun Province. A total of 200 residents aged 18–60 years were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires validated by three experts, with item-objective congruence values of 0.75–1.00 and reliability coefficients of 0.702 and 0.767. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient. Most participants were female (64.0%), with a mean age of 39.10 years. Most had a good attitude toward dengue fever prevention (87.0%) and a high overall level of health literacy (73.5%; Mean = 85.19, SD = 8.46). Occupation, age, and attitude toward dengue fever prevention were significantly associated with health literacy at the .05 level. The findings indicate that residents had favorable attitudes and high health literacy regarding dengue fever prevention. Public health agencies should implement age- and occupation-appropriate health literacy promotion activities while strengthening positive attitudes toward dengue fever prevention.