A survey on malaria treatment seeking behaviour in Ethiopia (2020)

Abstract

Background: Malaria is endemic in Ethiopia, with different transmission intensities. The disease is endemic in areas with an elevation of less than 2000m above sea level in which an estimated population of 56.6 million people of the total Ethiopian population (~ 110 million) is at risk. Hence, the country has employed malaria diagnosis, treatment and prevention therapies as one of the major intervention programs in addition to the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). The present survey is aimed at investigating the treatment-seeking behavior of the population in malaria endemic areas.

Objective: To measure key indicators of malaria treatment-seeking behavior across the different regions of Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February-April, 2020 and June-July, 2020 by using a standardized questionnaire and quantitative data collection approaches. The target population included malaria endemic areas (EAs with altitude ≤2,000m above sea level. The total sample size , and  were determined by using the appropriate formula for sample size calculation ignoring the finite population correction.

Result: In this 2020 survey, a total of 6,773 sampled households participated with a response rate of 98.9%. More than 67% of respondents’ ages were under the age30 and there were nearly an equal proportion of men (51%) and women (49%). The proportion of children under five years who seek advice or treatment for the fever was 64.2 %. Among individuals with fever for whom advice or treatment was sought, 81.8% of them sought advice or treatment from public sector sources. The result shows that out of those who sought malaria treatment, about 90.2% of households were tested for malaria parasites. According to their response, 95.2% of households were communicated by the health care provider and the diagnostic test shows 38% of them were positive for malaria.

Conclusion: The proportions of households (66.5%) and under five years’ children (64.2%) who sought advice or treatment also need to be improved to attain the ultimate target elimination. The need for awareness through health care facilities should also be enhanced to encourage treatment seeking behavior.