Community capacity for sustainable community–based dengue prevention and control: domain, assessment tool and capacity building model

In order to understand the community capacity for sustainable community-based dengue prevention and control, this paper proposes the approach of a previous study about meaning and domains of dengue prevention and control, an assessment tool and a community capacity building model for sustainable community-based dengue prevention and control in the Southern Thailand. A study of dengue community capacity domains was conducted by utilizing a qualitative method, whereby ten initial community domains were identified by means of a literature review, in-depth interviews of sixty community leaders, and eight focus group discussions with sixty non-leaders in four sub-districts of southern Thailand. In the final study, there were 14 identifiable domains in leaders group and 11 domains in non-leaders. The resulting dengue community capacity-assessment tool (DCCAT) consisted of two parts: one for leaders (DCCAT-L) and the other for non-leaders (DCCAT-NL). DCCAT-L was composed of 115 items within 14 domains and 83 items within 11 domains for the DCCAT-NL. The key domains of leaders and non-leaders had a partial overlap of domains such as critical situation management, personal leadership, health care provider capacity, needs assessment, senses of community, leader group networking, communication of dengue information, community leadership, religious capacity, leader group and community networking, resource mobilization, dengue working group, community participation, and continuing activities. The application of the new tool consisted of five steps: 1) community preparation, 2) assessment, 3) a community hearing meeting, 4) interventions, and 5) conclusion and improvement step. All stakeholders in the community should use the new tool based on a clear understanding of the measurement objectives, the desired outcomes, resources available and characteristics of their community. If communities need to develop and build dengue community capacity, then the designed pre-post intervention assessments or serial assessments are essential.