Abstract
Background Malaria remains a public health issue in the world especially in resource-limited countries, where it has a negative impact on their economy. There is a body of recent reports outlining the crucial role of enterprises in control of malaria. The present study aimed at determining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards malaria among employees from enterprises in the town of Douala, Cameroon. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study took place between February 2015 and June 2017 in 14 enterprises of Douala. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to document sociodemographic parameters and KAP of employees. Results A total of 2705 employees, mainly consisted of males (83.1%), were included in the study. The mean age of respondents was 37.33 ± 9.78 years (range 19-87). Over 90% of respondents knew at least one sign/symptom (94.1%) and associated malaria transmission with mosquito bites (91%). Artemether-Lumefantrine (36.2%), under commercial name “Coartem,” was the most cited antimalarial drug. Nearly 98.2% considered malaria as a dangerous disease. Misconceptions on malaria transmission, causative agent, prevention, and treatment were recorded. More than 77% of employees declared to use mosquito bed nets to prevent malaria. About 63% employees declared going to the hospital when they were feel having malaria while 12.9% were seeking care through street drugs. Educational level, socioprofessional category, area of residence, and enterprise were significantly associated with the level of knowledge on malaria transmission, causative agent, and preventive and treatment practices. Conclusion This study showed a good level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of employees even though some misconceptions and bad behaviors are still present especially in people with a low level of education. Hence, there is a need to develop strategies for sensitization especially in this fraction of employees. In addition, enterprises could be an interesting approach in order to control malaria in Cameroon.
Highlights
Malaria remains a major public health concern across the world
In Cameroon, malaria is the first cause of consultation (26%) and hospitalization (46%); it is responsible for 22% of annual deaths [2]
The aim of the study was clearly explained to employees in order to get their informed consent; employees who did not consent to participate were excluded from the study
Summary
Malaria remains a major public health concern across the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 228 million cases of malaria and 405,000 deaths occurred worldwide in 2018 [1]. It causes a decrease in productivity and investments due to both increased employee absenteeism and health care expenditures [7]. Malaria remains a public health issue in the world especially in resource-limited countries, where it has a negative impact on their economy. The present study aimed at determining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards malaria among employees from enterprises in the town of Douala, Cameroon. Educational level, socioprofessional category, area of residence, and enterprise were significantly associated with the level of knowledge on malaria transmission, causative agent, and preventive and treatment practices. This study showed a good level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of employees even though some misconceptions and bad behaviors are still present especially in people with a low level of education. Enterprises could be an interesting approach in order to control malaria in Cameroon
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