Management of malaria in pregnancy by Traditional Birth Attendants in Ogun State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Background: Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Most deliveries in this region are attended by the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs).Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnancy amongst TBAs in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria.Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study used systematic random sampling to select 200 registered TBAs within the state. Pre-tested, semi-structured interviewer-based questionnaires were used to obtain relevant data.Results: The mean age of respondents was 37.7 ± 2.2 years. Most of the respondents had secondary school education (82.0%) and were females (89.0%). The majority (68.0%) had good knowledge of malaria during pregnancy; 83.0% used blood test for the diagnosis of malaria while 62.2% of these used Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test kits. A third of the respondents (33.0%) used Artemisinin-Combination Therapy for treatment while 13.0% used Chloroquine. The majority (85.5%) of the respondents did not practice directly observed therapy in intermittent preventive treatment for malaria using Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP). The age of the respondents was significantly associated with their level of knowledge (p = 0.019).Conclusion: The TBAs had high level of knowledge and good practice of the management of malaria in pregnancy. However, some still treated malaria with Chloroquine and were not conversant with the use of SP for the prevention of malaria. It is recommended that capacity building sessions for the TBAs be instituted to improve the quality of care they provide