The Camino Verde trial of community mobilisation for control of dengue reported a significant impact on entomological indices of the Aedes aegypti vector , and on serological dengue virus infection and self-reported dengue cases .
One reason for doing r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) is that experiments can be convincing .
Early epidemiological experimenters , such as Jenner and the smallpox vaccine and Snow and his famous Broad Street pump h and le , already knew the answer they were demonstrating ; they used the experiments as knowledge translation devices to convince others .
More sophisticated modern experiments include cluster r and omised controlled trials ( C RCTs ) for experiments in the public health setting .
Those who are convinced by a trial and want to act , need to know how the trial relates to their own context , what contributed to success , and what might make it even more effective .
Household costs for personal protection against mosquitoes: secondary outcomes from a randomised controlled trial of dengue prevention in Guerrero state, Mexico
Background Dengue is a serious public health issue that affects households in endemic areas in terms of health and also economically , imposing costs for prevention and treatment of cases . The Camino Verde cluster-r and omised controlled trial in Mexico and Nicaragua assessed the impact of evidence -based community engagement in dengue prevention .  The Mexican arm of the trial was conducted in 90 r and omly selected communities in three coastal regions of Guerrero State . This study reports an analysis of a secondary outcome of the trial : household use of and expenditure on anti-mosquito products .  We examined whether the education and mobilisation activities of the trial motivated people to spend less on anti-mosquito products . Methods We carried out a household question naire survey in the trial communities in 2010 ( 12,312 households ) and 2012 ( 5349 households in intervention clusters , 5142 households in control clusters ) , including questions about socio-economic status , self-reported dengue illness , and purchase of and expenditure on insecticide anti-mosquito products in the previous month . We examined expenditures on anti-mosquito products  at baseline in relation to social vulnerability and we compared use of and expenditures on these products between intervention and control clusters in 2012 . Results In 2010 , 44.2 % of 12,312 households reported using anti-mosquito products , with a mean expenditure of USD4.61 per month among those who used them . Socially vulnerable households spent less on the products . In 2012 , after the intervention , the proportion of households who purchased anti-mosquito products in the last month was significantly lower in intervention clusters ( 47.8 % ; 2503/5293 ) than in control clusters ( 53.3 % ; 2707/5079 ) ( difference − 0.05 , 95 % CIca −0.100 to −0.010 ) . The mean expenditure on the products , among those households who bought them , was USD6.43 ; 30.4 % in the intervention clusters and 36.7 % in the control clusters spent more than this ( difference − 0.06 , 95 % CIca −0.12 to −0.01 ) . These expenditures on anti-mosquito products represent 3.3 % and 3.8 % respectively of monthly household income for the poorest 10 % of the population in 2012 . Conclusions The Camino Verde community mobilisation intervention , as well as being effective in reducing dengue infections , was effective in reducing household use of and expenditure on insecticide anti-mosquito products . Trial registration ( IS RCT N27581154 )
The Camino Verde trial of community mobilisation for control of dengue reported a significant impact on entomological indices of the Aedes aegypti vector , and on serological dengue virus infection and self-reported dengue cases .
One reason for doing r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) is that experiments can be convincing .
Early epidemiological experimenters , such as Jenner and the smallpox vaccine and Snow and his famous Broad Street pump h and le , already knew the answer they were demonstrating ; they used the experiments as knowledge translation devices to convince others .
More sophisticated modern experiments include cluster r and omised controlled trials ( C RCTs ) for experiments in the public health setting .
Those who are convinced by a trial and want to act , need to know how the trial relates to their own context , what contributed to success , and what might make it even more effective .