Factors associated with knowledge about malaria prevention among women of reproductive age, Tete Province, Mozambique, 2019–2020

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Gerson Afai, Erika Valeska Rossetto, Cynthia Semá Baltazar, Baltazar Candrinho, Abuchahama Saifodine, Rose Zulliger
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2022
• Subjects: Malaria; Health Knowledge; Risk Factors; Mozambique; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04090-0; https://doaj.org/article/755d2db7eaeb4e83b3eca20c508e3a3b

Abstract Background Mozambique is a malaria endemic country with an estimated prevalence of malaria in children 6–59 months old that is twice as high in rural areas (46.0%) as in urban areas (18.0%). However, only 46.0% of women aged 15–49 years had complete knowledge about malaria in 2018. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with malaria knowledge among women of reproductive age in a high malaria burden district. Methods Data from a cross-sectional study, using a population-based malaria research study in Mágoe District, 2019, were analysed. This analysis included women aged 15–49 years. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to determine factors associated with complete knowledge of malaria that calculated adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) at a p < 0.05 significance level. Complete malaria knowledge was defined as when a woman correctly identified: fever as a malaria symptom, mosquito bites as the means of malaria transmission, mosquito nets as a tool for malaria prevention, malaria as curable, and were able to name an anti-malarial. Results A total of 1899 women were included in this analysis. There was complete malaria knowledge among 49% of the respondents. Seventy one percent mentioned fever as one of malaria symptoms, 92% mentioned mosquito bite as the cause of malaria infection, 94% identified that mosquito nets prevent malaria, 92% agreed that malaria has cure, and 76% were able to name at least one anti-malarial medicine. In the multivariate analysis, the following characteristics were associated with significantly higher odds of having complete malaria knowledge: having a secondary school or above education level (adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR = 2.5 CI [1.3–4.6] p = 0.005), being from the middle socioeconomic status group (aOR = 1.5 CI [1.1–2.1] p = 0.005), being from older age group of 35–39 (aOR = 1.9; CI [1.1–3.1] p < 0.001), having 1–2 children (aOR = 1.8; CI [1.2–2.6] p = 0.003), and having interviews completed in Portuguese or Cinyungwe ...