Peer education: The effects on knowledge of pregnancy related malaria and preventive practices in women of reproductive age in Edo State, Nigeria

Petra F Mens,Ehijie Fo Enato,Pauline Fd Scheelbeek,Hind Al Atabbi

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-610

Petra F Mens, Ehijie Fo Enato + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-610

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Abstract

BackgroundThere is limited uptake of measures to prevent malaria by pregnant women in Nigeria which is often related to the lack of knowledge on Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) and its effects on mother and foetus. This study, explored peer to peer education as a tool in raising knowledge of MIP among women of child bearing age.Methods1105 women of child bearing age were interviewed in their households using a structured questionnaire about their knowledge of malaria in general, MIP and use of preventive measures. Thereafter, a peer education campaign was launched to raise the level of knowledge in the community. The interviews were repeated after the campaign and the responses between the pre- and post-intervention were compared.ResultsIn the pre-assessment women on average answered 64.8% of the question on malaria and its possibility to prevent malaria correctly. The peer education campaign had a significant impact in raising the level of knowledge among the women; after the campaign the respondents answered on average 73.8% of the questions correctly. Stratified analysis on pre and post assessment scores for malaria in general (68.8 & 72.9%) and MIP (61.7 & 76.3%) showed also significant increase. Uptake of bed nets was reported to be low: 11.6%ConclusionPeer education led to a significant increase in knowledge of malaria and its prevention but we could not asses its influence on the use of preventive measures.

Highlights

There is limited uptake of measures to prevent malaria by pregnant women in Nigeria which is often related to the lack of knowledge on Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) and its effects on mother and foetus
Plasmodium falciparum malaria during pregnancy poses a substantial risk to mother and foetus; it leads to an estimated 10,000 maternal anaemia-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa annually [1]
This study found that peer education could be seen as an effective tool to increase the knowledge of young women about malaria

Summary

Introduction

There is limited uptake of measures to prevent malaria by pregnant women in Nigeria which is often related to the lack of knowledge on Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) and its effects on mother and foetus. Regular ITN advocacy campaigns are being held including free distribution to pregnant women, often in collaboration with local NGOs. Despite the evidence of the successes of ITNs and IPT-sp, the uptake and coverage in Nigeria is surprisingly low [6,7,8,9] and reasons for the low uptake and subsequent measures to increase the uptake are being sought

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion