Development of a Dengue Prevention and Control Model with Public Participation in Samut Sakhon Province

Abstract

This action research aimed to study the outcomes of developing a dengue prevention and control model through public participation in Samut Sakhon Province. The study followed the action research spiral across three phases: 1) Situation analysis; 2) Model development through planning, action, observation, and reflection; and 3) Evaluation. The target group included 29 development team members and 240 participants (120 each in experimental and control groups). Data were collected via focus groups and questionnaires from October 2024 to July 2025, and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results identified the "Samut Sakhon Model," comprising 8 activities: environmental management, campaigning/risk assessment, disease prevention, disease control, patient referral, risk communication, strengthening participation, and management. After implementation, the experimental group showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge and participation in surveillance (92.5%) compared to the control group (80.8%) (p-value < 0.001). Larval control behaviors also improved significantly (p-value < 0.001), while the control group showed no significant change (p-value = 0.193). In experimental areas, larval indices remained below the threshold, and dengue incidence decreased by 89.9%, exceeding the 83.0% reduction in comparison areas. The "Samut Sakhon Model" effectively enhances dengue surveillance and should be implemented across all areas.