Prevalence and Determinants of Malaria Infection Among Children of local farmers in Central Malawi
Abstract Background: Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five in Malawi. Children from rural areas of central Malawi have a high burden of malaria morbidity compared to other regions. The goal of this study was to examine the prevalence and determinants of malaria infection among children in rural areas of the Dowa district in central Malawi.Methods: A multistage cross-sectional study design was used to systematically sample 523 child‑mother dyads from postnatal clinics. A survey was administered to mothers to collect quantitative data, and rapid diagnostic tests were used to test for malaria infection in children. The main outcome was positive malaria diagnostic tests in children. Logistic regressions were used to determine risk factors associated with malaria among children aged 2 to 59 months.Results: The prevalence of malaria among children under five years was 35.4%. The results of the multivariate analyses showed that children of mothers who experienced recent intimate partner violence (IPV) were more likely to be diagnosed with malaria (AOR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.19–2.97; P = 0.007) than children of mothers who did not. Children of mothers who had no formal education were more likely to be diagnosed with malaria (AOR: 2.77, 95% CI: 1.24–6.19; P = 0.013) than children of mothers who had received secondary education. In addition, children in the age ranges of 2 to 5 months and 6 to 11 months were less likely to be diagnosed with malaria (AOR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.10–0.46; P = 0.000 and AOR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.22–0.85; P = 0.016, respectively) than children in the age range of 24 to 59 months. Conclusion: The study found that the prevalence of malaria infection among children in the study area was comparable to the national level. We propose that in addition to available malaria control programs, further attention should be paid to children whose mothers have no formal education, children aged 24 to 59 months and mothers that are exposed to IPV in the area.