scholarly journals P. Falciparum Community Prevalence and Health Seeking Behaviors in Rural Sussundenga District, Mozambique

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique E Earland ◽  
Albino Francisco Bibe ◽  
Anísio Novela ◽  
João Ferrão ◽  
Kelly M Searle
Keyword(s):  
Health Facility ◽  
Diagnostic Test ◽  
Malaria Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Malaria Incidence ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviors ◽  
International Border

Abstract Background: The large-scale effectiveness of malaria control interventions is differential at international border settings with varying policies, such as that between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Impacts of nationally directed malaria control interventions hinge on understanding malaria transmission and prevention at the community level along international borders. Thus far, few studies have focused on central Mozambique. Our aim was to describe community level P. falciparum transmission dynamics and health seeking behaviors among residents of Sussundenga, Mozambique, a rural village bordering Zimbabwe in Manica Province with high malaria incidence reported at the Sussundenga-Sede health center (RHC). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional community-based survey from December 2019 – February 2020. We used a random household sampling method, based on enumerated households from satellite imagery. All consenting participants completed a survey about malaria risk, prevention, and health seeking-behaviors, and received a P. falciparum malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT). Results: We enrolled 96 households with 358 individuals. The P. falciparum prevalence was 31.6% (95% CI [26.6-36.5]). Ninety-three percent of participants reported using the Sussundenga-Sede RHC for healthcare. Sixty-six percent of participants (N=233) experienced at least one malaria symptom in the past month, with self-reported fever most frequently reported (19.3%). Of these, 176 (76.5%) sought care in a health facility and 174 (79%) received an RDT with 130 (63%) positive results. Of those with a positive RDT, 127 (97%) received Coartem®. Following treatment, 123 (97%) participants' symptoms resolved within a median of 3 days (IQR: 3-5) ranging from 2-14 days. In this high transmission setting, a high proportion of participants recognized malaria related symptoms then received a proper diagnostic test and treatment in a health facility. Conclusions: Future interventions that leverage this health seeking behavior and strengthen health systems for community interventions will improve malaria control and inform the efficacy of potential interventions at this particular international border.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Malaria and pattern of treatment seeking behaviour among Tharu and Pahari communities of Jhalari

1970 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki ◽  
R K BC
Keyword(s):  
Health Facility ◽  
Malaria Control ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Government Health Facility ◽  
Government Health ◽  
The Government

Background: Community understanding and practices relating to causation, transmission, prevention and treatment are the main socio-cultural factors that can influence malaria control but studies done social aspect of malaria control are limited in Nepal.Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in 2003 in Jhalari VDC of Kanchanpur district where both Tharus and Pahari communities coexist. Total of 184 households were included in the study through systematic random sampling procedure for household survey. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied for data collection.Results: Fever, headache, chills, shivering, joint pain and spasmodic fever were the most frequently mentioned symptoms of malaria. Though most people knew that mosquito bite might cause malaria fever, they had multiple notions of malaria causations such as hot weather, living near forest, season change, overwork and weakness. They were not clear how a mosquito gets infected and transmit the disease from one person to another. The results showed that people incorporated traditional and modern elements into their concepts of the diseases and treatment strategies. Home remedy with herbs and self-treatment with anti-malarial pills are rare in both communities. Use of government health facility is significantly higher in Paharis than in Tharus. Tharus initially consult their traditional healers and visit the drug retailers in the most cases and government facility in some cases. Tharus were less informed of free diagnosis and treatment of malaria at the government health facilities.Conclusion: Both Tharus and Paharis are aware of malaria fever and actively seeking medical help from available sources of treatment; however, they are poorly informed of dangerous falciparum malaria and process of the disease transmission through infected mosquitoes. Tharus have less access to the government health facility than Paharis. Thus the improved health services in terms of availability, quality and accessibility, and effective information and communication regarding diseases and services can go a long way in tackling the problem.  Key words: Malaria; Fever; Knowledge; Perceptions; Treatment; Health-seeking behaviour.doi: 10.3126/jnhrc.v6i2.2189Journal of  Nepal Health Research Council 2008 Oct;6(13) Page : 84-92

Low First Wave COVID-19 cases and health seeking behaviors across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
C.N. Ukaga ◽  
S.O. Sam-Wobo ◽  
R.H. Muhammed ◽  
H.O. Mogaji ◽  
O.A. Surakat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Routine Testing ◽  
Home Management ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Very High ◽  
Age Category

This study was carried out across the six geopolitical zones to assess knowledge and health seeking behaviors of Nigerians during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in order to understand the seemingly low cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Structured and pretested short questionnaires were employed to obtain information electronically and physically across the six geopolitical zones on socio-demographic characteristics of participants; the knowledge of participants on COVID-19 disease; availability and accessibility to testing and isolation centers in the communities, attitudes and health seeking behaviors. Atotal of 1023 respondents; 705 (68.9%) males and 318 (31.1%) females across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria participated in this study with 477(46.6%) within the 26-45 years age category, and 6(0.6%) above 66 years. Atotal of 985(96.3%) had heard about COVID-19 at the time of survey while a total of  859(84.0%) of the respondents were aware of the presence of COVID-19 laboratory testing centers. Across the geopolitical zones, majority of the respondents 487(47.6%) claimed there are no routine testing for COVID-19 at their community level, while 303 (29.6%) affirmed otherwise and 216(21.1%) did not know if there were routine testing going on or not. On health seeking behaviors across the  country, majority of the respondents 558(54.5%) affirmed they would visit the hospital as the first point of contact if the opportunitypresented itself, 244(23.9%) claimed they would call the NCDC toll line, 2(0.2%) said they would use prayers, while 1(0.1%) respectively claimed they would use home management strategies through visiting chemist stores and checking the internet for solutions. Findings from this study confirm that there is very high awareness of the COVID-19 disease across the country, and limited number of testing centers at the community level. The implications include the possibility of unreported COVID19 cases in the cities as well as in the  communities. Keywords: COVID-19, knowledge, health seeking behaviors, community level 

scholarly journals Relationship of socio-economic status and childhood cancer: an in-hospital cross-sectional study in a developing country

1970 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 180-184
Author(s):  
BJ Brown ◽  
AO Adeleye
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Burkitt Lymphoma ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviors

Background: Socioeconomic factors are known to affect health quality, disease occurrence as well as health-seeking behaviors in several ways.Objectives: To determine the influence of socio-economic factors on awareness of cancer, healthseeking behaviors among parents of children with cancer in a developing country and occurrence of cancer using Burkitt lymphoma as index malignancy.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that involved children with cancer seen over a 2-year period in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Information was obtained by interview through administration of a questionnaire and retrieval of clinical data from patients’ case notes.Results: The caregivers of 91 children (46 boys, 45 girls) were interviewed including 86 biological parents. Majority (84.6%) of the children belonged to the low socio -economic classes 3-5; 45 of 86 parents (52.3%), more likely in parents from higher socioeconomic classes, were aware of cancer but only 7 (8.1%) knew it could occur in children. There was no association between Burkitt lymphoma and socio-economic class. Twenty-eight (30.8%) parents of the 91 children visited alternate sources of health care, most commonly traditional healers, followed by religious centers. There was no association between visits to such centers and the parents’ socio-economic status or with presentation with metastatic disease.Conclusions: Awareness of childhood cancer is low among this cohort of parents; their socioeconomic status seems to impact on this level of awareness but not on their health-seeking behaviors for their affected children. Focused health education is needed to increase childhood cancer awareness and appropriate healthseeking behavior among the population studied.Key words: socio-economic; childhood; cancer; health-seeking; behaviour; awareness

Health-seeking behaviour and practices among immigrant retail traders in an urban setting in North-Western Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elijah Yendaw ◽  
Anthony Mwinilanaa Tampah-Naah
Keyword(s):  
Health Facility ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This study aims to investigate the health-care-seeking behaviour and practices of West African migrants who reside and operate in Wa, Ghana, as itinerant retailers. Design/methodology/approach The study was cross-sectional and used the quantitative research approach. The analysis was done on a target population comprising 122 itinerant immigrant retail traders in Wa, Ghana. Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Findings Malaria was the commonest disease among them. Five in ten of the migrants preferred to report malaria episodes to a private health facility than to a government facility. Significant associations were identified between four dimensions (health facility, self-medication, home remedy and consult others) of health-seeking behaviour, and some background characteristics. The main reason why migrants prefer government health facilities was because of their better health personnel. They self-medicated because of easy accessibility of over-the-counter medicine shops. Also, when ill, the migrants usually consulted family members who would be in a position to take them home when their ailment worsens. Research limitations/implications Snowball sampling was used to select the respondents which could potentially lead to a sample that is not fully representative of the population in general. Originality/value Studies concerning migration and health in Ghana have been focused on internal migrants. Yet, minority immigrant traders equally encounter adverse health conditions but limited studies have been conducted to espouse their health-seeking behaviour. This study imperatively contributes to the subject matter that has limited literature in the country.

scholarly journals Maternal Decision-Making Input and Health-Seeking Behaviors Between Pregnancy and the Child’s Second Birthday: A Cross-Sectional Study in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1121-1129
Author(s):  
Zhongjie Zhang ◽  
Kenda Cunningham ◽  
Ramesh Prasad Adhikari ◽  
Subash Yogi ◽  
Shraddha Manandhar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviors

scholarly journals Novel serologic biomarkers provide accurate estimates of recentPlasmodium falciparumexposure for individuals and communities

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (32) ◽  
pp. E4438-E4447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danica A. Helb ◽  
Kevin K. A. Tetteh ◽  
Philip L. Felgner ◽  
Jeff Skinner ◽  
Alan Hubbard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Control ◽  
Malaria Incidence ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Protein Microarray ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Selection Strategy ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Epidemiologic Surveillance

Tools to reliably measurePlasmodium falciparum(Pf) exposure in individuals and communities are needed to guide and evaluate malaria control interventions. Serologic assays can potentially produce precise exposure estimates at low cost; however, current approaches based on responses to a few characterized antigens are not designed to estimate exposure in individuals.Pf-specific antibody responses differ by antigen, suggesting that selection of antigens with defined kinetic profiles will improve estimates ofPfexposure. To identify novel serologic biomarkers of malaria exposure, we evaluated responses to 856Pfantigens by protein microarray in 186 Ugandan children, for whom detailedPfexposure data were available. Using data-adaptive statistical methods, we identified combinations of antibody responses that maximized information on an individual’s recent exposure. Responses to three novelPfantigens accurately classified whether an individual had been infected within the last 30, 90, or 365 d (cross-validated area under the curve = 0.86–0.93), whereas responses to six antigens accurately estimated an individual’s malaria incidence in the prior year. Cross-validated incidence predictions for individuals in different communities provided accurate stratification of exposure between populations and suggest that precise estimates of community exposure can be obtained from sampling a small subset of that community. In addition, serologic incidence predictions from cross-sectional samples characterized heterogeneity within a community similarly to 1 y of continuous passive surveillance. Development of simple ELISA-based assays derived from the successful selection strategy outlined here offers the potential to generate rich epidemiologic surveillance data that will be widely accessible to malaria control programs.

scholarly journals A study on the health seeking behaviour among the geriatric population in the urban field practice area of JJM Medical College Davangere

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 2271
Author(s):  
Ruchi Dhar ◽  
G. S. Vidya
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Geriatric Population ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: According to census 2011 the elderly population aged 60 years and above account for 8% of total population and is projected to rise to 12.4% by the year 2026. Health status is an important factor that has a significant impact on quality of life. The elderly is one of the most vulnerable and high risk groups in terms of health status and their health seeking behaviour is crucial in any society.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was carried out for a period of 1 year for which a predesigned and semi-structured questionnaire was used and a total of 440 elderly were interviewed by house to house survey.Results: In our study it was found that the majority of the subjects (36.8%) were in the age group of 60-64 years, 52.5% were illiterate, 51.1% were unemployed and 49% belonged to class IV socio economic status. Any degree of formal schooling was found to be associated with better health seeking behavior. Majority of the subjects (58%) visited a government health facility in case of an illness and the main reason that was stated for not visiting a health facility was that they suffered from mild discomfort (44.4%) and did not consider it necessary to visit a health facility.Conclusions: It was observed that more number of males visited a health care facility in case of an illness, 241 (92.7%) whereas only 154 (85.6%) females visited a health facility in case of an illness. This difference was found to be statistically significant.

scholarly journals Factors associated with maternity waiting home use among women in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia: a multilevel cross-sectional analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e028210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaameeta Kurji ◽  
Lakew Abebe Gebretsadik ◽  
Muluemebet Abera Wordofa ◽  
Morankar Sudhakar ◽  
Yisalemush Asefa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Household Wealth ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Jimma Zone ◽  
Maternity Waiting Home ◽  
Sectional Analysis

ObjectiveTo identify individual-, household- and community-level factors associated with maternity waiting home (MWH) use in Ethiopia.DesignCross-sectional analysis of baseline household survey data from an ongoing cluster-randomised controlled trial using multilevel analyses.SettingTwenty-four rural primary care facility catchment areas in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia.Participants3784 women who had a pregnancy outcome (live birth, stillbirth, spontaneous/induced abortion) 12 months prior to September 2016.Outcome measureThe primary outcome was self-reported MWH use for any pregnancy; hypothesised factors associated with MWH use included woman’s education, woman’s occupation, household wealth, involvement in health-related decision-making, companion support, travel time to health facility and community-levels of institutional births.ResultsOverall, 7% of women reported past MWH use. Housewives (OR: 1.74, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.52), women with companions for facility visits (OR: 2.15, 95% CI 1.44 to 3.23), wealthier households (fourth vs first quintile OR: 3.20, 95% CI 1.93 to 5.33) and those with no health facility nearby or living >30 min from a health facility (OR: 2.37, 95% CI 1.80 to 3.13) had significantly higher odds of MWH use. Education, decision-making autonomy and community-level institutional births were not significantly associated with MWH use.ConclusionsUtilisation inequities exist; women with less wealth and companion support experienced more difficulties in accessing MWHs. Short duration of stay and failure to consider MWH as part of birth preparedness planning suggests local referral and promotion practices need investigation to ensure that women who would benefit the most are linked to MWH services.

scholarly journals Retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness of indoor residual spray with pirimiphos‐methyl (Actellic) on malaria transmission in Zambia

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Keating ◽  
Joshua O. Yukich ◽  
John M. Miller ◽  
Sara Scates ◽  
Busiku Hamainza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insecticide Resistance ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Malaria Case ◽  
Malaria Incidence ◽  
Population Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Pyrethroid Insecticides ◽  
Catchment Areas

Abstract Background Widespread insecticide resistance to pyrethroids could thwart progress towards elimination. Recently, the World Health Organization has encouraged the use of non-pyrethroid insecticides to reduce the spread of insecticide resistance. An electronic tool for implementing and tracking coverage of IRS campaigns has recently been tested (mSpray), using satellite imagery to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the enumeration process. The purpose of this paper is to retrospectively analyse cross-sectional observational data to provide evidence of the epidemiological effectiveness of having introduced Actellic 300CS and the mSpray platform into IRS programmes across Zambia. Methods Health facility catchment areas in 40 high burden districts in 5 selected provinces were initially targeted for spraying. The mSpray platform was used in 7 districts in Luapula Province. An observational study design was used to assess the relationship between IRS exposure and confirmed malaria case incidence. A random effects Poisson model was used to quantify the effect of IRS (with and without use of the mSpray platform) on confirmed malaria case incidence over the period 2013–2017; analysis was restricted to the 4 provinces where IRS was conducted in each year 2014–2016. Results IRS was conducted in 283 health facility catchment areas from 2014 to 2016; 198 health facilities from the same provinces, that received no IRS during this period, served as a comparison. IRS appears to be associated with reduced confirmed malaria incidence; the incidence rate ratio (IRR) was lower in areas with IRS but without mSpray, compared to areas with no IRS (IRR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.84–0.98). Receiving IRS with mSpray significantly lowered confirmed case incidence (IRR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.66–0.86) compared to no IRS. IRS with mSpray resulted in lower incidence compared to IRS without mSpray (IRR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.72–0.95). Conclusions IRS using Actellic-CS appears to substantially reduce malaria incidence in Zambia. The use of the mSpray tool appears to improve the effectiveness of the IRS programme, possibly through improved population level coverage. The results of this study lend credence to the anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of 3GIRS using Actellic, and the importance of exploring new platforms for improving effective population coverage of areas targeted for spraying.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document