Knowledge, attitude and practices of people living in Awka Metropolis, on malaria treatment, prevention and control

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO), malaria report has consistently shown the poor performances of malaria-endemic countries such as Nigeria in controlling the malaria parasite. Methods: The study is a cross-sectional mixed quantitative and qualitative analysis. Regarding existing literature on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) on malaria treatment, prevention and control within the study area, a structured questionnaire suiting for the study was drafted with reliability analysis done following the review of the study instrument by three field experts. Results: The study involved a total of 350 respondents who filled out the questionnaires independently. Sixty percent (60.3%) had good knowledge of malaria prevention methods. Using a Likert scale mean of 3.97, the sample population was shown to have a positive attitude towards the prevention of malaria, also a mean of 3.7 indicated that the population showed a positive attitude to treatment. Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) were poorly used while other methods of prevention were preferred. Above 90% of the participants agreed that malaria is preventable and cited several preventive methods. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study respondents had good knowledge of malaria infection, treatment and control, although the majority knowing this, do not follow the accurate prevention practices. The study exposed the need to train and retrain the communities on the benefits of adequate prevention and treatment practices as a tool for effective malaria control and eradication.