Gender-related family head schooling and Aedes aegypti larval breeding risk in southern Mexico.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate if family head genre-associated education is related to the risk of domiciliary Aedes aegypti larval breeding in a dengue-endemic village of Southern Mexico.


METHODS
A family head was considered to have a low education level if he/she had not completed elementary school. To estimate larval breeding risk within each household, a three-category Maya index was constructed using a weighted estimation of controllable and disposable domestic water containers. A socio-economic index was constructed based on household construction characteristics.


RESULTS
Low-level education of either family head was associated to higher larval breeding risk. Households with low-educated mothers had more larval breeding containers. These associations persisted after adjusting for household socio-economic level.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that households with female family heads with low education levels accumulate more containers that favor Ae. aegypti breeding, and that education campaigns for dengue control should be addressed to this part of the population. The English version of this paper is available too at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.
Danis-Lozano
Rogelio
R
Centro de Investigación de Paludismo, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Tapachula, Chiapas, México.
Rodríguez
Mario H
MH
Hernández-Avila
Mauricio
M
D000330:Aedes / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors