Home Management of Malaria in Under Fives and Pregnancy in Uganda

This report describes research conducted in response to a Uganda Ministry of Health / United States Agency for International Development (USAID) request to design a communication strategy in support of Uganda's "National strategy for Home Based Management of Fever/Malaria in Children Under Five and Pregnant Women."



The research methodology included focus group discussions and key informant interviews conducted in 6 districts in Uganda in 2001. These surveys were designed to "deepen the understanding of the gaps in knowledge, attitudes, practices, fears and beliefs [KAPBF] about malaria management among children under
five and pregnant women." The introduction to this report lists the specific research objectives as:

• identify myths and misconceptions about management of malaria in children under five and in pregnant women.
• identify KAPBF about home management of malaria among children under five.
• identify KAPBF about home management of malaria among pregnant women.
• determine motivating and de-motivating factors in parents seeking treatment of malaria for children under five, and in prevention and treatment of malaria in pregnant women.
• suggest appropriate recommendations that would assist in the designing of a communication strategy.

The report identifies both significant gaps in KAPBF regarding home management of malaria, and a series of recommendations for how communication strategies can fill those gaps. Recommendations drawn from the childhood and pregnancy surveys include:

• Using local terminologies for fever and malaria
• Raising awareness about the danger signs of malaria
• Focusing communication channels directed at men on malaria control messages
• Emphasising the need for prompt and effective treatment
• Utilising community drug vendors as a special channel of communication (specific to childhood survey)
• Distributing Ministry of Health policy treatment guidelines to all health workers (specific to pregnancy survey)
• Popularising the Ministry of Health policy on Intermittent Presumptive Treatment (IPT) and providing an enabling environment for its execution (specific to pregnancy survey)