| الوصف: |
To investigate the risk factors associated with bedbug infestations among Hong Kong households, self-reported questionnaires in Chinese were distributed online between June 2019 to July 2020. The questionnaire collected data on participants’ sociodemographics, history of bedbug infestation, and housing situation. Among the 663 participants who completed the questionnaire, 422 (63.7%) have experienced bedbug infestations in the past year, they were concentrated around the Kowloon region. Weighted bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression were performed to identify the statistically significant (p-value HKD30,000; housing risk factors identified are living in subdivided flats (OR=16.53, 95% CI 1.01-269.72), crowded household (OR=1.55, 95% CI 1.06-2.28), having second-hand furniture (OR=2.97, 95% CI 1.16-7.58), housing cleanliness issues (OR=2.66, 95% CI 1.13-6.25), and presence of bedbugs in neighbouring residential units (OR=3.32, 95% CI 1.57-7.04) or on the streets (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.12-3.23). This study has identified lower income, lower education level, crowded household, living in subdivided flats, and certain dilapidated housing features to be risk factors of bedbug infestations; efforts and policies should prioritise vulnerable groups and focus on addressing the housing risk factors identified in this study. |
