Community Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Towards Malaria in Enebsie Sarmidir Woreda, East Gojjam, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2024-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
One of the most serious public health issues facing the world today is malaria. It is a significant health and economic challenge in many tropical and subtropical regions. This study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the community towards malaria in Enebsie Sarmidir woreda, East Gojjam, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. From February 2024 to July 30, 2024, a cross-sectional study based in the community was carried out. Through the use of questionnaires and observation, information from 280 randomly chosen people was gathered. After their knowledge scores were evaluated, it was found that 160(57.1%) of study participants had good knowledge about malaria, while the remaining 120(42.9%) had poor knowledge. About half of the study participants 149 (53.2%) had a positive attitude about malaria whereas the rest 131 (46.8%) had a negative attitude. The practice scores of the research participants about malaria were also computed, and the degree of practice was assessed by contrasting an individual's score with the mean practice score. As a result 75% of research participants had good practice for malaria, while 25% had poor practice scores. Educational level was found to have a significant association with an individual's knowledge of malaria. In this regard, illiterate participants were 2.6 times less likely to have good knowledge of malaria as compared to those who could read and write (Exp (B) =0.380, 95% CI.0.183-0.187, Sig. =0.009) . Family number and age were statistically significant with the practice of the study subjects. The practice level of respondents was likely to increase with increasing age. Participants aged 50 and above were 4.25 times more likely to have good practice when compared to those found within the range of 18-28. Overall respondents' levels of knowledge, attitude and practice about malaria were comparatively good. Despite relatively good KAP scores about malaria, there is still a need for dissemination of information through community-preferred channels to enhance preventive and control measures.
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Keywords
Malaria, Community, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice