Cultural Factors in Aedes Aegypti and Dengue Control in Latin America: A Case Study from the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Dengue and Aedes aegypti infestation in Latin America pose substantial health risks. Total reliance on chemical interventions is no longer feasible and, increasingly, programs of control will need to rely on education, behavior change and community participation. Findings from applied behavioral research in the Dominican Republic conducted from July through September of 1987 are discussed in the light of cultural constraints on intervention efforts. Perception of risk, the choices for curative care as opposed to prevention, and explanatory models of environmental risks are considered. The article concludes with a discussion of the benefits of health education messages that possess simplicity and economy of effort. Additionally, the potential importance of biological controls are suggested in light of cultural constraints.