El Niño Phenomenon: Characterization of the Level of Knowledge About Dengue Prevention in Residents of Peripheral Areas of Lima, 2023

Introduction: climate variability and dengue transmission are related; Peru is on the brink of an El Niño Phenomenon; the increase in environmental temperature has an impact on the extrinsic incubation period of the virus and on the population dynamics of the vector. Objective: characterize the level of knowledge about dengue prevention in residents residing in the peripheral areas of Lima, 2023. Material and methods: observational, prospective, cross-sectional and analytical study. Residents of North Lima and East Lima participated, ages between 18 and 60 years, head of household, residents in the area for at least 3 years. The variables level of knowledge, marital status, occupation, level of education, whether or not it has a drain, source of water for consumption, water storage, material and ventilation of the dwelling were included. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test, and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. Results: the variables associated (p<0.05) to the level of knowledge about preventive measures against dengue were level of education, home drainage, source of drinking water, water storage and housing material. Low level of knowledge in 60.8% of residents of North Lima versus 28.9% in East Lima. Conclusions: it is urgent to implement education programs that address preventive measures against dengue.