| dc.description.abstract | Kenya is one of the five nations in Africa with the heaviest malaria burden, with 11,342,000 cases of infection recorded each year. According to the Ministry of Health, malaria cases account for 30% of all patients treated at outpatient clinics in hospitals and 19% of admissions. It is also a leading killer of children under five years of age. The main objective of this research study was to establish the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of Nairobi residents regarding malaria prevention and treatment, and the subsequent communication needs. It used a survey questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 200 respondents in Kawangware, Dandora, Githurai and City Centre.
The findings show that only 15% of the respondents were over 45 years of age; the majority (67.3%) were aged 35 years and under. The majority was married (60.7%) and 44 % had completed secondary school. Radio and television were reported as the most common sources of information on health by 78.6% and 86.3% of the respondents respectively. They were also considered the most reliable sources, and the ones that most respondents had recently heard messages on malaria from. Over 60% of the respondents said that they would prefer to receive information on malaria in future through radio and TV.
Ability to recognize key malaria symptoms and the knowledge of how malaria is transmitted was high among the respondents. However, only 2.4% knew that using malaria medicines during pregnancy is also a preventive measure. Asked to name the drugs used to treat malaria, most respondents mentioned Fansidar, whose use was discontinued in 2006; only about 40% mention the correct drugs (Coartem/Green Leaf). Based on the findings, this research recommends that messages to the public in Nairobi should include information about the new treatment drugs and address the misconceptions about Fansidar. Communication should also inform the public about prevention of malaria during pregnancy, as so few of the respondents were aware of this. (316 words) | en_US |
