Malaria prevention in the city of Yaoundé: knowledge and practices of urban dwellers

Background Malaria prevention in Cameroon mainly relies on the use of ITNs. Although several free distribution campaigns of treated nets have been conducted across the country, bed net usage remains very low. A household survey was conducted to assess knowledge of the population and practices affecting treated net usage in the city of Yaoundé. Methods A community-based descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in January 2017 in 32 districts of the city of Yaoundé. Parents (household head, spouse or an elder representative) who consented to the study, were interviewed using a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Interviews were conducted in French or English. A questionnaire consisting of 22 questions was administered to know (i) people’s knowledge and attitude on preventive measures; and, (ii) attitudes concerning the treatment of malaria and estimated amount spent for malaria prevention and treatment. Results A total of 1,643 household heads were interviewed. Over 94% of people interviewed associated malaria transmission to mosquito bites. The main methods used against mosquito bites were: treated bed nets (94%; n=1,526) and insecticide spray or coils (32.2%; n=523). The majority of people interviewed reported using bed nets mainly to prevent from mosquito bites (84.4%, n=1,257), rather than for malaria prevention (47.3%). Knowledge and attitude analysis revealed that people with university or secondary level of education have better knowledge of malaria, prevention and treatment measures compared to those with the primary level (OR=7.03; P