Knowledge and Practices of Pregnant Women on Malaria Prevention in Brazzaville

Abstract

Introduction: Since the deployment of preventive measures against malaria in pregnant women in Congo, the coverage rates in Intermittent Preventive Treatment for malaria in pregnancy using Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) and Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) remain low compared to the objectives set by WHO. This study aimed to analyze the knowledge and practices of pregnant women in the prevention of malaria in Brazzaville. Population and Method: This is an analytical cross-sectional study, conducted from September 15th to October 30th, 2021. The sample consisted of pregnant women who performed at least three antenatal care consultations one month apart each; obtained from a two-stage random sample. Data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed with Epi-Info version 7.2.6 software. The odds-ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the associations between the variables. Results: A total of 331 pregnant women were selected. The mean age was 27 years (22; 31). Most women were single (82.8%), multiparous (63.4%) and 74.9% had secondary level education. The level of knowledge was insufficient in 53.8% of respondents; nearly 64.7% had good preventive practices. Pregnant women with no education are 8 times more likely to have insufficient knowledge of malaria prevention (OR = 8.33 [2.02 - 34.17]; p = 0.0036). Also, those whose gestational age is between 22 - 27 weeks are 2.54 times more likely to have insufficient knowledge than those with gestational age of 36 weeks and above (OR = 2.54 [1.33 - 4.46], p = 0.0071). Conclusion: It is important to strengthen the awareness in order to bring pregnant women to improve their knowledge of malaria prevention and change their behavior.