Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) during the malaria elimination phase: A household-based cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Malaria is a major health problem in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to measure the level of community understanding of malaria transmission, protection, and treatment. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study enrolled 1070 participants from 2 districts with different malaria prevalence rates in Jazan Province. The response rate was 97.27%. Of the 1070 total; 754 (70.5%) had heard about malaria. Sixty-seven percentage know that fever was the main symptom. Approximately 59.8% did not know that stagnant water is one of the most important locations for mosquito breeding. Nevertheless, we found that 50% of the participants knew that mosquitoes bite at night and 96.9% confirmed that mosquitoes did not bite during the day. The most effective sources of information were distributed leaflets (41.8%) and video awareness (31.9%). The most significant factors affecting participants knowledge were gender, residence, family members, income, and education (P < .05). Knowledge levels were satisfactory in this study, and the majority of participants exhibited adequate attitudes and practices related to malaria prevention. However, knowledge differences were observed with regard to the place of residence. Greater emphasis should be directed towards education programs in malaria-endemic areas to ensure complete eradication of malaria.

Figure 1.

Map of Jazan Region.

Figure 2.

(A) Respondents’ knowledge of malaria. Y-axis represents percentage of the participants. (B) Behavior of participant when a family member infested with malaria. (C) Respondents’ opinion on the correct method of malaria’s treatment.