Preventive Awareness and Protective Behaviours Toward Vector-Borne Diseases Among Patients at a Tertiary Care Centre in Eastern India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Mosquito-and arthropod-transmitted illnesses are among the leading contributors to infectious disease burden worldwide, with a disproportionate toll on tropical low-and middle-income nations such as India.The extent to which affected communities are informed about, disposed toward, and actively engaged in disease-prevention activities is widely recognised as a central determinant of control programme success.This study assessed knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) concerning vector-borne diseases (VBDs) among outpatient attendees at a tertiary referral facility in Eastern India and their relationships with socio-demographic characteristics.Methods: An observational, cross-sectional survey of 546 adults (≥18 years) recruited via convenience sampling was conducted.A validated, self-administered, bilingual questionnaire assessed knowledge (15 items; score 0-15), attitude (eight Likert items; score 8-40), and practice (nine items; score 0-9).Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Spearman's rank correlation were computed; significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.Results: Most participants showed inadequate knowledge (60%; n=329), suboptimal preventive practices (84%; n=458), and a favourable attitude (58%; n=316) on the reverse-scored attitude subscale.Spearman's rank correlation confirmed significant inter-domain associations: Knowledge-Attitude (ρ = -0.625,p < 0.001), Knowledge-Practice (ρ = +0.577,p < 0.001), and Attitude-Practice (ρ = -0.752,p < 0.001).Education, occupation, marital status, religion, housing type, drainage facility, health information source, and history of VBDs were significantly associated with all three KAP domains (p < 0.05); age and income were associated with knowledge and attitude, but not practice, and gender was associated with practice only (p = 0.001).Conclusion: Despite favourable attitudes, knowledge and practice deficits are substantial in this rural, lowincome population.Targeted education delivered through healthcare workers is essential to bridge the knowledge-practice gap and reduce VBD transmission.