A community empowerment strategy embedded in a routine dengue vector control programme: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

The non-sustainability of vertically organised dengue vector control programmes led to pleas for changing the emphasis towards community-based strategies. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial with 16 intervention and 16 control clusters to test the effectiveness of a community empowerment strategy intertwined with the routine dengue vector control programme in La Lisa, Havana City, Cuba. The intervention included four components on top of routine control: organisation and management; entomological risk surveillance; capacity building; and community work for vector control. In the control clusters, routine activities continued without interference. The community participation score increased from 1.4 to 3.4. Good knowledge of breeding sites increased by 52.8% and 27.5% in the intervention and control clusters, respectively. There were no changes in adequate Aedes aegypti control practices at household level in the control clusters, but in the intervention clusters adequacy increased by 36.2%. At baseline, the Breteau indices (BI) were approximately 0.1 and were comparable; they fluctuated over time but became different with the launch of the community-based dengue control activities in the intervention clusters. Over the intervention period, the BI remained 53% (95% CI 22-92%) lower in these clusters than in the control clusters. The empowerment strategy increased community involvement and added effectiveness to routine A. aegypti control.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes