Systematic literature review about educational interventions evaluated through entomological indices or practices to prevent the presence of or eliminate breeding sites of Aedes
BackgroundCommunity participation is a critical element in the management of Aedes breeding sites. Many educational interventions have been conducted to encourage prevention and elimination of breeding sites among different community actors, such as government-run programs for vector surveillance aimed at preventing and eliminating breeding sites at the household level within a community. Getting people involved in prevention and elimination of vector breeding sites in their communities requires communication and social mobilization strategies to promote and reinforce those prevention actions that, in turn, should be effective from the entomological standpoint. Methodology/Principal FindingsArticles published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, were reviewed to assess whether educational interventions targeting Aedes were effective in reducing entomological indicators or in improving practices to prevent the presence of or eliminate breeding sites. The most widely used indicators were the larval indices, and the practices to reduce/eliminate breeding sites. We found that using a community-based approach adapted to the eco-epidemiological and sociocultural scenarios explain the reduction of entomological indicators by educational interventions. Conclusions/SignificanceThose who design or implement educational interventions should strengthen the evaluation of those interventions using qualitative approaches that provide a more complete picture of the social context and barriers/facilitators to implementing vector control. Engaging school children in cross-sectorial collaboration involving the health and education spheres promotes the participation of the community in vector surveillance and reduces the risk of arboviral disease transmission. Author summaryDengue, Zika, and chikungunya are mosquito-borne diseases that represent a major global public health problem. These diseases are transmitted mainly through the bite of the Aedes aegypti vector mosquito and, to a lesser extent, Ae. albopictus. Getting people involved in prevention and elimination of mosquitos in their communities requires communication and social mobilization strategies to promote and reinforce those prevention actions that, in turn, should be effective from the entomological standpoint. The success of vector control programs has been demonstrated to lie in a comprehensive effort involving key community participation and intersectoral alliances. In addition, the participation of schoolchildren to mobilize their families in the prevention of breeding sites and the management of mosquito populations is recommended. In this article, we proposed to conduct a systematic review of scientific publications that evaluate the effects of educational interventions on Aedes through entomological indicators. As a result, we obtained only 26 articles that evaluated the efficacy of educational interventions in reducing vector populations out of 732 articles reviewed. The selected articles were published in both English and Spanish, and to a lesser extent in Portuguese, which highlights the importance of avoiding language bias in systematic reviews. As a conclusion of our work, we can mention that the interventions that incorporated the social context and the barriers/facilitators for the implementation of vector control were the most successful. In addition, we emphasize the importance of involving schoolchildren to promote community participation in vector surveillance.