Abstract
Malaria is a major health burden in developing countries and needs multiple strategies for its control. Community participation as one of the strategies for malaria control promotes self-awareness and confidence, causes the people to examine the problems and to think positively about the solutions. The study was aimed at assessing the level of community participation in malaria control in Olorunda local government area of Osogbo, Osun state, Nigeria. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design. Multi-staged sampling technique was used to choose 550 respondents. An interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Most of the respondents (65.0%) fell between the age ranges 20-39 years, with a mean age of 32.85 ± 12 years. Almost all (98.4%) respondents had knowledge of malaria with most of them (88.0%) correctly aware that mosquito bite could lead to malaria fever. Respondents stated that stagnant pool (92.6%) and refuse dump (89.0%) could predispose to malaria. About two-thirds (60.6%) of the respondents participated in the control of the breeding sites of mosquitoes on specific days for environmental sanitation. The association between community participation in health talk and community participation in malaria control was statistically significant (p<0.000). Although only 23.0% use ITN to protect themselves from mosquito bites, there was statistical significant association between awareness of respondents about ITN and its usage (p=0.003). Knowledge of respondents about malaria was high with majority participating in malaria control measures. However, the use of insecticide treated nets (ITN) was low. Therefore, it is recommended that continuous awareness creation on the use of ITN, and continued efforts aimed at elimination of breeding sites of mosquitoes should be adopted to achieve long term control of malaria.
Highlights
Malaria is a life threatening parasitic endemic disease in Africa
Pregnant women are susceptible to malaria and it is a cause of low birth weight and infant mortality
Estimates of the disease burden due to malaria in Africa show that the toll it exacts in terms of loss of life, episodes of serious illness, and impediment to economic development is enormous (Kleinschmidt, 2001)
Summary
Malaria is a life threatening parasitic endemic disease in Africa. The disease is one of the leading causes of death and ill health in many developing countries, where children under 5 years and pregnant women are mostly affected (Schapira, 2004). Children are especially vulnerable because they lack natural immunity to malaria and are at greater risk of developing more severe forms of the disease. Estimates of the disease burden due to malaria in Africa show that the toll it exacts in terms of loss of life, episodes of serious illness, and impediment to economic development is enormous (Kleinschmidt, 2001). The burden of malaria is causing many countries in Africa to sink further into poverty. In Africa today, malaria is understood to be both a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty
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