Community knowledge and perceptions about malaria and practices influencing malaria control in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Govere, J.; Durrheim, D.; la Grange, K.; Mabuza, A.; Booman, M.
South African Medical Journal 90(6): 611-616
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 10918892 Document Number: 524940
A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in November 1997 among female heads of 299 randomly selected households in the Tonga district, Mpumalanga, South Africa, with a population of 116 418 and seasonal malaria with an annual incidence of 3200 cases. Community knowledge and perceptions about malaria and its control were assessed by interviews. Respondents ranked malaria as the 3rd most serious health problem facing the community after TB and AIDS. 72% (214 of 299) of respondents reported that they knew what malaria disease was and, of these, 92.1% (197 of 214) mentioned mosquito bites as the cause of malaria. The respondents' understanding of the causal role of mosquitoes in malaria was significantly related to their knowledge about disease symptoms (P<0.001). Reported community compliance with the malaria control programme (MCP) was satisfactory; 86.6% (259 of 299) of respondents reported that their homes had been sprayed during the past 2 years but 10.0% (30 of 299) did not know why homes were sprayed. Hospitals or clinics were the facilities where respondents most commonly sought treatment for fever; 66.9% (200 of 229) reported that they would seek treatment immediately after the onset of high fever. Specific practices such as replastering or washing of inside walls compromised the effectiveness of the MCP. Personal preventive measures were sometimes used against malaria (50.8%, 152 of 299) and use was positively associated with education level (P=0.001). Respondents expressed their desire for more information about malaria and their willingness to contribute to the control of malaria in their community. The survey collected information which was directly relevant to the development of health education messages to increase community awareness of the problem of malaria, to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria, to improve community understanding of the function of indoor residual spraying, and to enlighten the population of the role of mosquitoes in malaria transmission and the availability and benefits of personal protection measures against mosquito bites.