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A malaria knowledge, attitudes and practices survey was conducted in Malawi during April and May, 1992, to provide policy makers and program managers with information needed to design or improve malaria control programs, to establish epidemiologic and behavioral baselines, and to identify indicators for monitoring program effectiveness. Using cluster-sample survey methodology, 1531 households, in 30 clusters of 51-52 households each, were identified and members interviewed. Interviews were conducted by trained survey teams composed of young Malawian women with secondary level education. Heads of households were asked about malaria prevention methods used and about household economics; caretakers of children were asked about treatment and health seeking behavior in a recent malaria episode in a child; and women who had been pregnant in the past 5 years were asked about their antenatal clinic utilization and malaria during pregnancy. Survey results will be used to make programmatic decisions, including developing health education messages and establishing monitoring and evaluation of malaria control activities and outcomes in Malawi.A malaria knowledge, attitudes and practices survey was conducted in Malawi in the late rainy season, April 1-May 16, 1992, corresponding to the season of peak malaria transmission to provide policy makers and program managers with information needed to design or improve malaria control programs, to establish epidemiologic and behavioral baselines, and to identify indicators for monitoring program effectiveness. A cluster-sample survey methodology, modified from the Expanded Program for Immunization cluster-sampling methodology was used to identify and interview members of a total sample of 1531 households, in 30 clusters of 51 to 52 households each. Heads of households were asked about malaria prevention methods used and about household economic; caretakers of children were asked about treatment and health seeking behavior in a recent malaria episode in a child; and women who had been pregnant in the past 5 years were asked about their antenatal clinic utilization and malaria during pregnancy. A total of 7025 persons in 1531 households were included in the survey: 1178 adults with recent fever illness and caretakers of 724 children with recent fever illness were interviewed; 1395 households included at least one woman who had ever been pregnant, with 809 women having completed a pregnancy within the last 5 years. Preventive measures used in the households and household income were ascertained for 1531 households. In several articles, detailed results will be described for each part of the survey. These results will be used to be guide policy makers and program managers in making decisions based on current data in designing and improving malaria control programs and health education messages. Baseline epidemiologic and behavioral indicators will be identified for monitoring program impact to help focus intervention efforts on high risk groups, through channels that will most effectively reach the greatest number of people. |
