Knowledge, Awareness and Practices of Preventive Measures for Malaria among Pregnant Women in a Tertiary Health Institution

BACKGROUND: Malaria accounts for nearly one million deaths every year in Africa alone. It is the most important of the parasitic diseases of human beings. Pregnant women are known generally to demonstrate an increased susceptibility to malaria infection. Malaria in pregnancy is a known cause of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practices of malaria prevention among pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, North-west Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: The study was a cross-sectional study which adopted a descriptive design and systematic random sampling technique was used. Data collected were sampled using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The findings revealed that 85.51 % of respondents had good knowledge of malaria prevention, and 73.82 % practiced malaria preventive strategies. There was a significant relationship between good knowledge and the educational status of the pregnant woman and her husband, with p values of 0.001 and 0.001 respectively. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that midwives and doctors carry out comprehensive health talks during the antenatal clinic on malaria and its preventive measures in pregnancy. Intermittent preventive therapy and insecticide treated nets should also be given to pregnant women attending antenatal clinics.