MALARIA TREATMENT SEEKING BEHAVIOUR AND CORRELATES AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN ONDO WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

Abstract

Pregnant women are vulnerable to malaria as pregnancy reduces a woman’s immunity to malaria, making her more susceptible to infection and increasing risk of severe anaemia and death especially in first pregnancy. Delay in diagnosis and treatment of malaria increases morbidity and mortality among pregnant women. Several factors and knowledge about the causation of disease and its curability have direct correlation with the treatment seeking behaviour of the people. This study was aimed at identify factors associated with different malaria treatment behaviours among pregnant women and explore these factors to gain information to guide the planning of preventive strategies and treatment of malaria among pregnant women in Ondo West LGA. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 pregnant women who presented with signs and symptoms of malaria. The 44 health institutions in Ondo West LG/A with malaria laboratory facilities were stratified into government and private, out of which 2 government hospitals and 2 private health centres were randomly selected. Thereafter, 240 women who presented with signs and symptoms of malaria were selected through purposive sampling method and recruited consecutively across the four selected ANC centres. A set of interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, practices, and major influencing factors of treatment seeking behaviours for the study. Knowledge of malaria was assessed on a scale of 100 points with scores ≥75 rated as high level knowledge while score of 50-74 as average knowledge. Descriptive statistics (frequencies) were used to tabulate and describe the data. For inferential statistics, logistic regression was used at 5% level of significance. The mean age of the respondents was 22 ± 1.1. One hundred and eighty three (76.3%) had high knowledge of malaria transmission, symptoms, and prevention. despite this: only 100 (41.7%) sought early malaria treatment. The most visited place for malaria treatment was health centres/clinics. Pregnant women with high level of malaria knowledge were 4.55 times more likely than those with average knowledge to seek for early malaria treatment (OR- 4.55, C.I=2.17-9.55). Those with no formal education were 99.7% less likely than those with post tertiary education to seek early malaria treatment (OR= 0.003, C.l= 0.00-0.07). Also, those who have only primary education were 96% less likely than those with post tertiary education to seek for early malaria treatment (OR= 0.04, C.l= 0.05-0.30). The pregnant women within age group of 18-24 years were 82% less likely than those of 35 years and above to seek for early malaria treatment (OR= 0.18,C.I= 0.04-0.84 ). Pregnant women who made health centres/clinic as their first point of seeking treatment were 44.2 times more likely than those who use local herb l() seek for early malaria treatment (OR= 44.2, C.I= 11.6-55.4). In-conclusion, whereas the knowledge of pregnant women about malaria cause. transmission. signs and symptom was good, most of the pregnant women still sought late for malaria treatment. It was noticed from the result that level of education, age, religion, level of knowledge and first place of seeking treatment all have significant relationships with treatment seeking behavior. Therefore it is recommended to improve the dissemination of appropriate information on malaria in Ondo West LGA through active education campaigns to encourage early treatment seeking behavior and utilization of health centres especially among younger women and uneducated pregnant women in Ondo West LGA.