Impact of Malaria among Different Age Groups in Pregnancy in Rivers State

Abstract

Studies have shown that pregnant women are vulnerable to malaria parasitemia. Unfortunately, less attention has been paid to the effect of age group on malaria parasitemia among this group of subjects. The aim of this study was to determine the most age vulnerable age group of malaria parasitemia among pregnant women. It was a hospital-based study carried out in two selected health institutions in Rivers State. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the areas of study as well as the 400 participants used for the study. A well-structured questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic data of the subjects within the age range of 21–40years. Venous blood samples of the subjects were collected from the subjects and examined for the presence of malaria parasites using standard procedures. The results obtained from the health institution located in urban region of Rivers State (Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital) showed the prevalence rate of 36.4% in the group within the age of 21-25 years, 36.1% among age range of 26-30 years, 22.5% for 31-35 years and 23.1% for the pregnant women within the age of 36-40 years. The results obtained from the health institution located at semi-urban region of the state (General hospital Bori) showed prevalence of 44.2%, 23.0%, 35.7% and 41.7% respectively. There was a significant difference the prevalence of malaria among the age groups in both health facilities, P= 0.0001. This study has shown that younger pregnant women especially those in their 20s are more prone to malaria parasitemia than older women in the Rivers State.