Conference abstract
Effectiveness of community health participatory approach on caregiver´s health seeking behaviour and knowledge and practices towards malaria in conflict-affected communities of Cameroon
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2024:23(79).26
Nov 2024.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2024.23.79.2846
Archived on: 26 Nov 2024
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Community participation, malaria, knowledge attitudes and practices, health-seeking, conflicted-affected, Cameroon
Poster
Effectiveness of community health participatory approach on caregiver´s health seeking behaviour and knowledge and practices towards malaria in conflict-affected communities of Cameroon
Elvis Tanue Asangbeng1,2,&, Modjenpa Noukeme B1, Ako S1, Sachop N1, Adeso D1, Metuge A1, Nganmou IS3, Kebam Koshio G1, Besem Ebob M1, Yankam B4, Funmi Ogundeko-Olugbami4, Kolawole M1, Wanji S2, Njomo E1
1Reach Out Cameroon, Buea, Cameroon, 2University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon, 3Konmofamba Actions Sans Frontière, Pendja, Cameroun, 4Malaria Consortium, London, United Kingdom
&Corresponding author
Introduction: the community health participatory approach (CoHPA) could help to achieve behavioral changes in the population and enhance the participation of local communities in the control of malaria. Evidence on the impacts of community-engaged malaria preventive interventions in conflict-affected settings is limited as far as the CoHPA is concerned. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of CoHPA in improving the knowledge practices, and health-seeking behaviors in conflict-affected communities of the South West and Littoral Regions.
Methods: monthly community health dialogues organized and facilitated by Community Health Volunteers were implemented from May 2022 to April 2024 in 80 communities to promote malaria preventive and health-seeking practices. A pre-post design involving 2,386 and 2,507 households during baseline and endline surveys, using structured questionnaires. Malaria prevalence for children under five was determined using rapid diagnostic tests on blood samples. The data were analyzed statistically (descriptive and McNemar test of association) using SPSS 25 software.
Results: out of the 2,386 households enrolled at baseline, 1,543 children under five were tested for malaria and 2,042 children under five in the 2,523 households interviewed at endline. Adequate levels of knowledge and attitudes on malaria prevention increased from 52.9% to 53.1% (p=0.001). Good practices towards malaria prevention increased from 43.3% to 67.3% (p<0.001). More community members visited their community health workers for consultations [660.4% at baseline vs. 69.8% at endline (p<0.001)]. Malaria prevalence among children under five decreased from 54.0% to 20.7% (p<0.001). Adequate health-seeking behavior for suspected episodes of malaria increased from 53.0% to 53.7% (p<0.001)
Conclusion: the findings suggest that the monthly community health dialogues improved the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the population, and advanced healthcare-seeking behaviors towards episodes of malaria among caregivers, further decreasing the prevalence of malaria in children under five. To effectively treat malaria, innovative strategies should target community participation.
Effectiveness of community health participatory approach on caregiver´s health seeking behaviour and knowledge and practices towards malaria in conflict-affected communities of Cameroon
Elvis Tanue Asangbeng1,2,&, Modjenpa Noukeme B1, Ako S1, Sachop N1, Adeso D1, Metuge A1, Nganmou IS3, Kebam Koshio G1, Besem Ebob M1, Yankam B4, Funmi Ogundeko-Olugbami4, Kolawole M1, Wanji S2, Njomo E1
1Reach Out Cameroon, Buea, Cameroon, 2University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon, 3Konmofamba Actions Sans Frontière, Pendja, Cameroun, 4Malaria Consortium, London, United Kingdom
&Corresponding author
Introduction: the community health participatory approach (CoHPA) could help to achieve behavioral changes in the population and enhance the participation of local communities in the control of malaria. Evidence on the impacts of community-engaged malaria preventive interventions in conflict-affected settings is limited as far as the CoHPA is concerned. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of CoHPA in improving the knowledge practices, and health-seeking behaviors in conflict-affected communities of the South West and Littoral Regions.
Methods: monthly community health dialogues organized and facilitated by Community Health Volunteers were implemented from May 2022 to April 2024 in 80 communities to promote malaria preventive and health-seeking practices. A pre-post design involving 2,386 and 2,507 households during baseline and endline surveys, using structured questionnaires. Malaria prevalence for children under five was determined using rapid diagnostic tests on blood samples. The data were analyzed statistically (descriptive and McNemar test of association) using SPSS 25 software.
Results: out of the 2,386 households enrolled at baseline, 1,543 children under five were tested for malaria and 2,042 children under five in the 2,523 households interviewed at endline. Adequate levels of knowledge and attitudes on malaria prevention increased from 52.9% to 53.1% (p=0.001). Good practices towards malaria prevention increased from 43.3% to 67.3% (p<0.001). More community members visited their community health workers for consultations [660.4% at baseline vs. 69.8% at endline (p<0.001)]. Malaria prevalence among children under five decreased from 54.0% to 20.7% (p<0.001). Adequate health-seeking behavior for suspected episodes of malaria increased from 53.0% to 53.7% (p<0.001)
Conclusion: the findings suggest that the monthly community health dialogues improved the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the population, and advanced healthcare-seeking behaviors towards episodes of malaria among caregivers, further decreasing the prevalence of malaria in children under five. To effectively treat malaria, innovative strategies should target community participation.
