Correlation between Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Malaria in Endemic Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To find a correlation between knowledge, attitude and practice of malaria in endemic areas and to identify any significant factors associated with them.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of the Study: Pathology Department, Combined Military Hospital, Khuzdar, from Nov 2019 to Oct 2020.

Methodology: People admitted with malaria from Khuzdar district, and surrounding areas were included in the study.Patients with the communication barrier were excluded. Patients with debilitating illness or pregnant ladies and those allergic to the drugs were also excluded from the study.

Results: Total 203 people with a confirmed malarial diagnosis were enrolled. The age of participants ranged from 20-48 years,with a mean of 30.49±6.45 years. All the study participants had heard about malaria and had adequate knowledge about its mode of transmission. 84.3% patients had a positive attitude towards understanding disease as potentially life-threatening.70.9% patients had good practices about using anti-mosquito sprays, and 71.9% had good practices about using personal protective clothing. Our study showed that malaria prevention practice was significantly associated with endemic areas (p<0.001).

Conclusions: All the patients had adequate knowledge about malaria. Targeted interventions towards malaria prevention in endemic areas should be enhanced.