Open AccessPATIENTS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES ON UNCOMPLICATED MALARIA MANAGEMENT IN PLATEAU STATE, NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA
Author(s) -
Nanloh S Jimam,
Nahlah Elkudssiah Ismail
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
asian journal of pharmaceutical and clinical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2455-3891
pISSN - 0974-2441
DOI - 10.22159/ajpcr.2019.v12i3.30459
Subject(s) - malaria , cronbach's alpha , medicine , ogun state , microsoft excel , family medicine , demography , environmental health , geography , clinical psychology , archaeology , sociology , computer science , local government , immunology , operating system , psychometrics
Objectives: This study aimed to assess patients’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on uncomplicated malaria management in primary health-care (PHC) facilities of Plateau state, Nigeria.
Methods: A validated self-reported scale known as patients’ KAP instrument for uncomplicated malaria with Cronbach’s alpha reliability of 0.74 was administered to 956 patients that consented to participate in the study across 24 PHC facilities in the state between May and July 2017. The collated data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS®) version 23 software.
Results: There were more female participants (53.5%) compared to the males (46.5%), and majority (33.4%) within the age range of 28 and 37 years with 26.5% falling within the age range of 18–27 years and children of <18 years of age constituted 13.8% of the study population. About 42.1% of the respondents were married, and many either had secondary (37.3%) or primary (30.0%) education as their highest qualifications. With overall mean (±standard deviation [SD]) attitudes’ score of 34.55 (±7.20), majority (50.8%) were categorized as having average positive attitudes toward disease and its management, and many of them (55.2%) also had good knowledge (mean [±SD] score=4.59 [±1.44]) and practices (67.1%) (mean [±SD] score=14.98 [±3.44]) on the disease and its management.
Conclusion: The study indicated respondents’ knowledge and practices on uncomplicated malaria as good, while their attitudes toward the disease and its management were average.