Queenslanders' use of personal strategies to minimise risk of mosquito-borne disease

Objective: To describe Queenslanders' awareness, knowledge and attitudes to wards mosquito-borne diseases and their transmission, and to determine whic h factors influence the adoption of effective individual prevention strateg ies. Methods: In 1995-6, cross-sectional surveys of adult residents in the weste rn suburbs of Brisbane and registered voters in Caims were conducted. Force d entry logistic regression was used to predict use of personal protection and elimination of domestic breeding sites in the two cities. Results: Final sample sizes were 347 in Calms and 165 in Brisbane with resp onse rates of approximately 70%. RRVD awareness was nearly universal in bot h cities. A majority of residents (60% in Brisbane and 65% in Caims) report they are careful to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. 25% of Caims residen ts and 18% or Brisbane residents report always using some method of persona l protection. Calms residents are also more likely to say that they activel y prevent mosquitoes from breeding in their yards (76% in Brisbane and 87% in Caims). Knowledge of mosquitoes and disease transmission was slightly hi gher in Caims. In Brisbane, dislike of mosquitoes and being regularly bitte n were significant in the multivariate model predicting personal protection , whereas concern for disease and being female were significant in Caims. C oncern about disease was a significant predictor of eliminating breeding si tes in both cities. Conclusions: Raising concern about mosquito-borne disease can increase use of personal prevention strategies. However; providing information on preven tion strategies may not be effective. The most effective strategies are not practiced or seen by the public to be related to minimising risk of diseas e. Implications: Greater emphasis in health promotion campaigns should be plac ed on encouraging permanent alterations to the domestic environment rather than temporary methods that are difficult to sustain and not effective agai nst the common vectors for mosquito-borne diseases in Queensland. Education al messages should explicitly link preventive behaviours with the reduction in the likelihood of contracting a serious disease.