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Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities

Background: Despite continuous efforts by the government and private sectors, malaria is still a public health problem in rural Peninsular Malaysia. This study investigated household knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding malaria in two malaria endemic communities, forest-aboriginal and r...

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Main Authors: Al-Adhroey, A.H., Nor, Z.M., Al-Mekhlafi, H.M., Mahmud, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2010
Subjects:
R Medicine
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/4235/1/Al-Adhroey-2010-Opportunities_and_ob.pdf
http://eprints.um.edu.my/4235/
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spelling my.um.eprints.42352013-09-09T01:49:27Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/4235/ Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities Al-Adhroey, A.H. Nor, Z.M. Al-Mekhlafi, H.M. Mahmud, R. R Medicine Background: Despite continuous efforts by the government and private sectors, malaria is still a public health problem in rural Peninsular Malaysia. This study investigated household knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding malaria in two malaria endemic communities, forest-aboriginal and rural communities, in the Lipis district of Pahang state, Malaysia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with a semi-structured questionnaire was carried out among 100 and 123 households from forest-aboriginal and rural areas, respectively. Results: Knowledge about malaria and its transmission is significantly higher among the rural participants than the aborigines (86.2 vs 76, p < 0.01). However, use of medicinal plants and beliefs in witchcraft and sorcery in treating febrile diseases were significantly higher among the aboriginal population (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between the two communities in terms of the knowledge about malaria symptoms, attitudes towards its severity and practices in preventive measures against malaria by using mosquito bed nets. However, the knowledge and practice of different preventive measures to combat malaria, such as insecticide and the elimination of breeding areas, was significantly higher among the rural population than the aborigines (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Both communities were aware of malaria as a disease, but knowledge, attitudes and practices were inadequate. Providing efficient health education to people residing in malaria endemic areas would improve their understanding about malaria prevention in order to bring about the elimination of malaria from the country. 2010 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://eprints.um.edu.my/4235/1/Al-Adhroey-2010-Opportunities_and_ob.pdf Al-Adhroey, A.H. and Nor, Z.M. and Al-Mekhlafi, H.M. and Mahmud, R. (2010) Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities. Malaria Journal, 9.
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
language English
topic R Medicine
spellingShingle R Medicine
Al-Adhroey, A.H.
Nor, Z.M.
Al-Mekhlafi, H.M.
Mahmud, R.
Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
description Background: Despite continuous efforts by the government and private sectors, malaria is still a public health problem in rural Peninsular Malaysia. This study investigated household knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding malaria in two malaria endemic communities, forest-aboriginal and rural communities, in the Lipis district of Pahang state, Malaysia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with a semi-structured questionnaire was carried out among 100 and 123 households from forest-aboriginal and rural areas, respectively. Results: Knowledge about malaria and its transmission is significantly higher among the rural participants than the aborigines (86.2 vs 76, p < 0.01). However, use of medicinal plants and beliefs in witchcraft and sorcery in treating febrile diseases were significantly higher among the aboriginal population (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between the two communities in terms of the knowledge about malaria symptoms, attitudes towards its severity and practices in preventive measures against malaria by using mosquito bed nets. However, the knowledge and practice of different preventive measures to combat malaria, such as insecticide and the elimination of breeding areas, was significantly higher among the rural population than the aborigines (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Both communities were aware of malaria as a disease, but knowledge, attitudes and practices were inadequate. Providing efficient health education to people residing in malaria endemic areas would improve their understanding about malaria prevention in order to bring about the elimination of malaria from the country.
format Article
author Al-Adhroey, A.H.
Nor, Z.M.
Al-Mekhlafi, H.M.
Mahmud, R.
author_facet Al-Adhroey, A.H.
Nor, Z.M.
Al-Mekhlafi, H.M.
Mahmud, R.
author_sort Al-Adhroey, A.H.
title Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
title_short Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
title_full Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
title_fullStr Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
title_full_unstemmed Opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from Peninsular Malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
title_sort opportunities and obstacles to the elimination of malaria from peninsular malaysia: knowledge, attitudes and practices on malaria among aboriginal and rural communities
publishDate 2010
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/4235/1/Al-Adhroey-2010-Opportunities_and_ob.pdf
http://eprints.um.edu.my/4235/
_version_ 1643687291730788352
score 13.211869

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