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Background <p>Arboviral diseases remain major public health problems in Colombia. Mobile applications such as WhatsApp are increasingly being used to support health interventions by improving community engagement and preventive practices. Given its widespread use in Colombia, this study aimed to evaluate a community-based public health strategy supported by WhatsApp to promote preventive practices and enhance community engagement in vector control activities, particularly the application of insecticidal coatings to water tanks.</p> Methods <p>A quasi-experimental study with three groups (control, community visits only, and community visits plus WhatsApp) was conducted in two municipalities in Colombia. Around 300 households per group were recruited. Preventive practices and entomological indices were evaluated before and after the intervention using household surveys and larval/pupal inspections. Within-group changes were analysed using McNemar’s and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and intervention effects over time were estimated using difference-in-differences analysis. WhatsApp acceptability was also assessed using Likert-scale items.</p> Results <p>A total of 874 households were included in the final analysis. The community visits and WhatsApp group showed significant improvements in preventive practices after the intervention, including proper management of small breeding sites (+ 15.9% points, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Reductions in vector abundance were observed in both intervention groups, but they were greater in the group that integrated WhatsApp; the House Index decreased by 22.8% points in the community visits plus WhatsApp group vs. 14.7% points in the community visits-only group. At 4 months, entomological indices were significantly lower in both intervention groups than in the control group, and no larvae or pupae were found in treated tanks. Community engagement related to coating application was high in the WhatsApp group, and WhatsApp was well accepted by community users, with most mean scores above 4.8 out of 5.</p> Conclusions <p>The strategy combining community visits and WhatsApp within vector control activities was acceptable and more effective than community visits alone in improving preventive practices and reducing vector densities. The incorporation of WhatsApp may strengthen community engagement in prevention programmes in endemic urban settings.</p> Trial registration <p>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07517731. Retrospectively registered on 8 April 2026.</p>

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Using a digital health tool to strengthen community engagement in arboviral disease prevention: an implementation study in Colombia

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

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  • Maria Angelica Carrillo,
  • Rocio Cardenas Sanchez,
  • Susana Koo Chong,
  • Tatiana Rivera Ramirez,
  • Johanna Yañez,
  • Winfried V. Kern,
  • Jörg Lindenmeier,
  • Axel Kroeger

摘要

Background

Arboviral diseases remain major public health problems in Colombia. Mobile applications such as WhatsApp are increasingly being used to support health interventions by improving community engagement and preventive practices. Given its widespread use in Colombia, this study aimed to evaluate a community-based public health strategy supported by WhatsApp to promote preventive practices and enhance community engagement in vector control activities, particularly the application of insecticidal coatings to water tanks.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study with three groups (control, community visits only, and community visits plus WhatsApp) was conducted in two municipalities in Colombia. Around 300 households per group were recruited. Preventive practices and entomological indices were evaluated before and after the intervention using household surveys and larval/pupal inspections. Within-group changes were analysed using McNemar’s and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and intervention effects over time were estimated using difference-in-differences analysis. WhatsApp acceptability was also assessed using Likert-scale items.

Results

A total of 874 households were included in the final analysis. The community visits and WhatsApp group showed significant improvements in preventive practices after the intervention, including proper management of small breeding sites (+ 15.9% points, p < 0.001). Reductions in vector abundance were observed in both intervention groups, but they were greater in the group that integrated WhatsApp; the House Index decreased by 22.8% points in the community visits plus WhatsApp group vs. 14.7% points in the community visits-only group. At 4 months, entomological indices were significantly lower in both intervention groups than in the control group, and no larvae or pupae were found in treated tanks. Community engagement related to coating application was high in the WhatsApp group, and WhatsApp was well accepted by community users, with most mean scores above 4.8 out of 5.

Conclusions

The strategy combining community visits and WhatsApp within vector control activities was acceptable and more effective than community visits alone in improving preventive practices and reducing vector densities. The incorporation of WhatsApp may strengthen community engagement in prevention programmes in endemic urban settings.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07517731. Retrospectively registered on 8 April 2026.