MALARIA CHEMOPROPHYLAXIS AND CHILDBEARING WOMEN IN A PERI-URBAN NIGERIAN COMMUNITY: KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDE AND SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS FOR ACCEPTANCE

Abstract

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, carried on childbearing women in Okelele community of Ilorin West Local Government of Kwara State, Nigeria. The aim was to assess the knowledge and attitude of childbearing women towards antimalaria chemoprophylactics and highlight socio-cultural factors influencing their knowledge and attitude. Three hundred and eighty childbearing women were interviewed but only 375 (98.7%) responded. A systematic sampling method was used to determine the houses where respondents were interviewed after obtaining informed consent; highly structured close-ended questionnaires were administered by trained interviewers. The respondents age range between 15 and 47years. More than half (52.8%) of the respondents were literates. Knowledge of antimalaria chemoprophylactics among the respondents was good 0f375 respondents, 353(94.1%) had knowledge and 317(84.5%) had ever used antimalaria chemoprophylactic drugs. The study revealed that respondents with higher educational level had significantly better knowledge of antimalaria chemoprophylactics and higher level of usage p

(Af. J. of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology: 2002 3(2): 85-90)