Knowledge, perceptions and prevention of malaria among women in Sistan va Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran

ABSTRACT

A questionnaire about malaria knowledge, beliefs and practices was given to a r and om sample of 2168 married women from rural and urban areas of Sistan va Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran. The mean knowledge score of subjects was low at 5.5 [maximum 15.0]. Few respondents [37.6%] knew that malaria was an important disease in the area and only 58.4% knew that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes. Most subjects [69.4%] never used a mosquito net. Only 49.9% of rural and 73.8% of urban residents would seek care for fever and chills from the local health centre. Community health workers [behvarz] were the main source of information [29.5%] for rural women; the role of physicians in education was minimal. Subsequent health education must be tailored to the educational needs of the target population in this area