Project Abstract

Abstract
Malaria continues to be a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, particularly among children and pregnant women. This research project aims to explore the specific factors contributing to the high prevalence of malaria in these vulnerable populations and to propose targeted interventions to address this issue. The study will employ a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis of existing health records with qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with healthcare providers, community health workers, mothers, and pregnant women. The quantitative analysis will focus on examining trends in malaria incidence among children and pregnant women in different regions of Nigeria over the past decade, while the qualitative component will provide insights into the barriers to effective malaria prevention and treatment. Preliminary findings indicate that a lack of access to preventive measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and antimalarial medications, as well as poor healthcare infrastructure and low awareness of malaria symptoms, contribute to the high burden of malaria among children and pregnant women in Nigeria. Additionally, sociocultural factors such as beliefs about the causes of malaria and traditional treatment practices play a role in inhibiting effective prevention and treatment efforts. Based on the study findings, recommendations will be made for improving access to preventive measures, strengthening healthcare systems, and enhancing community awareness and education about malaria. These recommendations will be tailored to the specific needs and challenges faced by children and pregnant women in different regions of Nigeria, taking into account local variations in healthcare infrastructure, cultural practices, and socioeconomic conditions. Overall, this research project aims to contribute to the evidence base on malaria prevention and control strategies in Nigeria, with a particular focus on addressing the needs of vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women. By identifying the key factors driving the high prevalence of malaria in these groups and proposing targeted interventions, this study seeks to inform policy and programmatic efforts to reduce the burden of malaria and improve health outcomes for children and pregnant women in Nigeria.

Project Overview

The study investigated menace of malaria among children and pregnant women of Ukwa East Local Government Area. The study focuses on the concepts like definition of malaria, history of malaria, effect of malaria on pregnant women and children, symptoms of malaria, treatment and prevention of malaria fever. The descriptive survey cohort research method used. Two hundred and fifty (25) samples male up of both children and pregnant women were used for the study from three (3) communities that were selected using stratified sampling technique. A self-structured questionnaire was used as a research instrument for data collection. A descriptive statistics frequency count, percentage was used to analyze personal data of the respondents and non-parametric statistics of chi-square (X2) set at 0.05 alpha level of significance was adopted to analyze the hypotheses tested for the study. The result shows that poor environmental sanitation, constant mosquito bite and poor awareness on incidence and poor prevention and control of malaria hinders both children and pregnant women’s health. The researcher recommends among others general cleaning of the surrounding through the use of sanitary inspectors to direct its towards the provision of adequate medical care to our localities and community health centers. The community should equally assist the government morally and financially without any delay in running the rural health centers in the town as to improving the quality of health care services in the area.