Impact of Health Education on Home Treatment and Prevention of Malaria in Jengre, North Central Nigeria

Background: Malaria accounts for 1 million deaths among children under five annually. It has been shown that improving home treatment and preventing delays in seeking treatment, by teaching women to respond promptly when their children have fever, can decrease malaria related complications and mortality. This study looks at the impact of health education on knowledge of malaria: its recognition, treatment and prevention among caregivers of children under five in Jengre, North Central Nigeria. Methods: The study was a community based intervention study conducted in three stages: A pre- intervention stage, where 150 caregivers, were selected through a multistage sampling technique from the households containing children under five. Information for the baseline was collected through an interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire. The intervention consisted of a series of health education sessions designed based on findings from the pre-intervention stage. The post-intervention impact assessment was conducted using a modified version of the questionnaire used in the pre intervention stage. Results: Malaria was recognized as one of the diseases that cause fever in community by all the respondents. Sixty-one (40.6%) had adequate knowledge concerning malaria causation, transmission, prevention and treatment. Twenty eight (56%) of respondents reported Self-treatment. There was a statistically significant relationship between years of formal education and first line treatment option (P=.012). Thirty-four (68%) mothers acted within eight hours of onset of fever. The intervention had an effect on perception (P<.001), knowledge (P<.001), malaria prevention practice (P=.001), first line treatment option (P=.031) and the type of treatment given to the children with fever (P=.048). Conclusion: Health education impacted positively caregivers\u2019 knowledge of malaria and their willingness to access antimalarial treatment when their children have fever. Malaria information should be made available to caregivers visiting child welfare clinics. Caregivers should also be integrated into malaria control activities at community level.Contexte: Le paludisme occasionne chaque ann\ue9e 1 million de d\ue9c\ue8s chez les enfants de moins de 5 ans. Il a \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9montr\ue9 que l\u2019am\ue9lioration du traitement \ue0 domicile et le fait d\u2019\ue9viter le retard de prise en charge, par des enseignantes afin de r\ue9agir avec promptitude lorsque leurs enfants ont la fi\ue8vre, peut r\ue9duire les complications et la mortalit\ue9 li\ue9es au paludisme. Cette \ue9tude s\u2019est int\ue9ress\ue9e \ue0 l\u2019impact de l\u2019\ue9ducation \ue0 la sante, sur la connaissance du paludisme, son identification, son traitement et sa pr\ue9vention parmi les donneurs de soins aux enfants de moins de 5 ans \ue0 Jenre dans la r\ue9gion du Centre-Nord du Nigeria. Methode: Il s\u2019agissait d\u2019une \ue9tude d\u2019intervention communautaire men\ue9e en trois \ue9tapes. Au cours de l\u2019\ue9tape pr\ue9c\ue9dant l\u2019intervention, 150 donneurs de soins ont \ue9t\ue9 s\ue9lectionn\ue9s par une m\ue9thode d\u2019\ue9chantillonnage concernant les foyers ayant des enfants de moins de 5 ans. Les informations de base ont \ue9t\ue9 recueillies par un enqu\ueateur \ue0 l\u2019aide d\u2019un questionnaire semi-structure. L\u2019intervention quant a elle a consiste en une s\ue9rie de sessions d\u2019\ue9ducation sanitaire bas\ue9es sur les donn\ue9es de l\u2019\ue9tape pr\ue9c\ue9dant l\u2019intervention. L\u2019\ue9valuation de l\u2019impact post intervention a \ue9t\ue9 effectu\ue9e par l\u2019usage d\u2019une version modifi\ue9e du questionnaire utilise en pr\ue9 intervention. R\ue9sultats: Le paludisme a \ue9t\ue9 identifi\ue9 comme figurant parmi les maladies responsables de fi\ue8vre dans la communaut\ue9 par tous les participants. 61 (40,6%) avaient une bonne connaissance des causes du paludisme, sa transmission, sa pr\ue9vention et son traitement. 26 (56%) des participants ont rapportes une auto m\ue9dication. Un lien statistiquement significatif a \ue9t\ue9 retrouve entre le nombre d\u2019ann\ue9es de scolarisation et le traitement de premi\ue8re intention (p=0,012). 34 (68%) des m\ue8res nt r\ue9agies dans les 8 heures suivant l\u2019acc\ue8s f\ue9brile. L\u2019intervention a eu un effet sur la perception (p<0,001), la connaissance (p<0,001), la pratique de la pr\ue9vention du paludisme (p=0,001), le choix du traitement de premi\ue8re intention (p=0,031) et le type de traitement administr\ue9 pour fi\ue8vre chez l\u2019enfant (p=0,048). Conclusion: L\u2019\ue9ducation sanitaire a eu un impact favorable chez les donneurs de soins sur la connaissance du paludisme et la volont\ue9 d\u2019acc\ue8s au traitement antipaludique chez leurs enfants f\ue9briles. Les informations sur le paludisme devraient \ueatre disponibles chez les donneurs de soins consultant dans les centres de soins sociaux. Les donneurs de soins devraient \ue9galement \ueatre int\ue9gr\ue9s aux activit\ue9s de contr\uf4le du paludisme au niveau communautaire