Engagement of the private health sector in communication to enhance malaria awareness in communities: Contributing to malaria elimination
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62992/r39b3w72Keywords:
Health education, Knowledge, Malaria, Private health sectorAbstract
Background: Countries in the Mekong sub-region are making significant progress towards malaria elimination, driven by strong commitment and multi-sectoral cooperation.
Objectives: This study examines changes in malaria knowledge among adults aged 18 and older in four high-risk provinces of Vietnam due to the Enhancing Private Sector's Responsibility in Vietnam's Malaria Elimination Program, implemented from 2021 to 2023.
Methods: We conducted a baseline and end-line cross-sectional study on the program "Enhancing Private Sector's Responsibility in Vietnam's Malaria Elimination." We utilized questionnaires from previous studies and employed multi-stage cluster random sampling techniques to recruit 736 adults from four high-risk provinces in Vietnam. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with malaria knowledge among the participants.
Results: There was a significant increase in the proportion of individuals with good knowledge of malaria prevention, rising from 36.7% at baseline to 78.6% at the end-line. A significant relationship was observed between age groups and knowledge of malaria prevention: for individuals aged 60 and older, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 2.40 (95% CI: 1.29-4.45) at baseline, while for those aged 45-59, the aOR was 2.05 (95% CI: 1.19-3.52) at end-line. Individuals who received advice from a private pharmacy or clinic knew about malaria prevention nearly four times compared to those who did not receive such advice (aOR = 3.84, 95% CI = 1.52-10.22).
Conclusion: The "Enhancing Private Sector's Responsibility in Vietnam's Malaria Elimination" program increased malaria awareness among individuals in the targeted areas. However, it was noted that there is still a significant lack of knowledge among those who are uneducated. This indicates the need for more focused educational campaigns tailored specifically to this segment of the population.
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