Abstract
Background. Malaria remains one of the most important causes of maternal and child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, despite the availability of effective interventions. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of malaria management among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Nigeria. Methods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken on a sample of 867 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in 2 health care facilities in Edo State, Nigeria, using a self-administered questionnaire. Results. Of the respondents, 87% said that they had undergone at least 1 episode of malaria during their current pregnancy. Most respondents (89%) attributed malaria to bites from infected mosquitoes, while 75% consider malaria an important health risk during pregnancy. However, knowledge of the consequences of malaria during pregnancy was poor, especially the risk posed to the fetus. Overall, the mean knowledge score on a scale of ‘0–7’ was 3.5 (median 4.0). Respondents had poor belief in the effectiveness and use of insecticide-treated bed nets and intermittent preventive therapy, in preventing malaria during pregnancy. Conclusions. This study has revealed that malaria is perceived as a common health problem among pregnant women attending these 2 health care facilities, and that knowledge, attitude and practice of its management is poor. Efforts should be made to improve anti-malarial intervention during pregnancy, to ensure that the goals of the Roll Back Malaria Initiative are achieved in Nigeria.
| Acronyms | ||
| CQ | = | chloroquine |
| ITNs | = | insecticide-treated bed nets |
| IPT | = | intermittent preventive therapy |
| KoM | = | knowledge of malaria score |
| S/P | = | sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine |
| Acronyms | ||
| CQ | = | chloroquine |
| ITNs | = | insecticide-treated bed nets |
| IPT | = | intermittent preventive therapy |
| KoM | = | knowledge of malaria score |
| S/P | = | sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine |